REPORT TITLE:
Social Anxiety Disorder


DESCRIPTION:
Requires insurers, mutual benefit societies, and HMOs that
provide mental health benefits coverage, to provide additional
coverage for social anxiety disorder.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2032
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS COVERAGE FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY
   DISORDER.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds and declares:
 
 2      (1)  Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is the most
 
 3           common anxiety disorder affecting approximately 7.9 per
 
 4           cent of Americans annually with a lifetime prevalence
 
 5           of 13.3 per cent;
 
 6      (2)  Patients with social anxiety disorder are at a fourfold
 
 7           increased risk of developing depression, and are three
 
 8           times more likely to develop panic and two times more
 
 9           likely to suffer from alcoholism, as persons without
 
10           the disorder;
 
11      (3)  Patients with social anxiety disorder are twice as
 
12           likely to attempt suicide as persons without the
 
13           disorder; and
 
14      (4)  Social anxiety disorder has been scientifically linked
 
15           to reduced quality of life, lower education attainment,
 
16           and impairment of professional advancement and wage
 
17           earning ability.
 
18      SECTION 2.  Chapter 431M, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
19 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 and to read as follows:
 
 2      "§431M-     Coverage for social anxiety disorder.  (a)  All
 
 3 individual and group accident and sickness insurance policies,
 
 4 individual or group hospital or medical service plan contracts,
 
 5 and nonprofit mutual benefit association and health maintenance
 
 6 organization health plan contracts issued or renewed in this
 
 7 State after December 31, 2000, that provide mental health
 
 8 benefits coverage shall include coverage for medically necessary
 
 9 treatment of social anxiety disorder.  Any provision in any
 
10 individual and group accident and sickness insurance policy,
 
11 individual or group hospital or medical service plan contracts,
 
12 and nonprofit mutual benefit association and health maintenance
 
13 organization health plan contracts issued, amended, delivered, or
 
14 renewed after December 31, 2000, that is in conflict with this
 
15 section shall be invalid.
 
16      (b)  As used in this section, "social anxiety disorder"
 
17 means a condition that meets the criteria for generalized social
 
18 phobia set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
 
19 Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, of the American Psychiatric
 
20 Association."
 
21      SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.
 

 
 
 
 
 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
 2 
 
 3                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________