Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 16 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request that the State Auditor assess the social and financial effects of requiring health insurers to offer coverage for cognitive rehabilitation.

The Hawaii Medical Service Association, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and a Federal Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor testified in support of this measure. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs offered comments, but took no position on the measure's merits.

Your Committee finds that recent evidence indicates great strides have been made in the neuropsychological treatment and cognitive therapy of traumatic brain injury victims. Survivors of traumatic brain injury have been urging health care insurers to include such injuries within their insurance coverage.

Your Committee is aware that by statute, section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, provides that a sunrise study by the State Auditor be performed before any legislation that mandates health insurance coverage for specific health services, specific diseases, or for certain providers of health care services as part of individual or group health insurance policies, may be considered.

This measure requests that the Auditor perform the required assessment of the social and financial effects of requiring health care insurers to offer coverage for traumatic brain injuries. Your Committee finds that an impact assessment will provide the legislature with findings and recommendations for its decisionmaking.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 16 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.