STAND. COM. REP. NO. 475

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 822
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.B. No. 822 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to prohibit exclusion from
health insurance coverage for contraceptive devices.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Health, Hawaii State Commission on the
Status of Women, Student Health Services of the University of
Hawaii, Bay Clinic, Inc., Hamakua Health Center, Kalihi-Palama
Health Center, Kokua Kalihi Valley, Healthy Mothers Healthy
Babies, Hawaii Women Lawyers, Hawaii Medical Service Association,
Alston, Hunt, Floyd, and Ing, Women's Coalition, one nurse
practitioner, one community health nurse, one health educator,
and a private citizen.  Testimony in opposition was received from
Brigham Young University-Hawaii, Hawaii Catholic Conference, and
Kaiser Permanente which opposed being required to provide the
coverage.  Informational testimony was received from the
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA).

     Your Committee believes that contraceptive coverage should
become a fundamental part of basic health insurance, allowing
families to delay or adequately space pregnancies.  Maternal and
child health would be improved by decreasing the incidences of
abortion, infant mortality, poor child health and development,

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 475
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and avoiding the birth of an unwanted child who could be doomed
to a life of child abuse and neglect.

     Your Committee has amended this bill on the recommendation
of the DCCA by deleting section 1 as being unnecessary, because
the same coverage is included by statutory reference in section
432D-23, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), which cross-references
section 431:10A-116.6, HRS, already being amended in section 2.
Your Committee also has made technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 822, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 822,
S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer
Protection.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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