Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 761, S.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to help persons struggling with severe mental health issues by allowing them insured health care by expanding the definition of "serious mental illness" to include obsessive compulsive disorder, dissociative disorder, delusional disorder, and major depression.

The Department of Health, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Hawaii Medical Association, The Queen's Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawaii Psychological Association, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)--Hawaii, NAMI-Oahu, Mestizo Association, Mental Health Legislative Coalition, and a concerned individual supported this bill. The Hawaii Medical Service Association provided comments.

Your Committee finds that there is overwhelming support for this measure--from the Governor to ordinary concerned individuals. The quest to gain full health coverage for persons with serious mental illnesses has been, up until now, addressed only on a piecemeal basis. This measure will provide a more comprehensive method to offer those afflicted with mental illness the insured health care they so desperately need.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 761, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 761, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.