Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.R. No. 69 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge health care insurers to include hearing care coverage in insurance plans and to urge physicians to conduct hearing impairment screening in older patients.

The Executive Office on Aging testified in support of this measure, as received. The Hawaii Medical Service Association presented comments on this measure.

Your Committee proposed replacing the contents of this measure with language that requests the convening of a special committee, composed of representatives from the legislature, state agencies, and private organizations, to develop and implement a plan for long-term care financing.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this proposed measure from the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Insurance Division, Executive Office on Aging, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.

Your Committee finds that the State's older population is rapidly increasing, eighty-six per cent of those age sixty-five and older utilize long-term care, and only a small percentage of the adult population is able to afford the high costs of long-term care or the costs of long-term care insurance. Therefore, it is imperative that the all segments of the community work together to develop and implement a plan that will allow our State's residents to afford long-term care.

Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing its contents with the language of the proposed measure, as described above, and by amending its title to reflect the contents of the amended measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 69, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 69, S.D. 1.