Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 29, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request a "sunrise" review of proposed legislation to mandate health insurance coverage for the screening of prostate cancer.

The National Prostate Cancer Coalition and Kaiser Permanente testified in support of this measure.

Your Committee finds that the State of Hawaii has the worst record in the United States for prostate cancer screening. Further, statistics indicate that the number of men in Hawaii screened for prostate cancer during the period 2001 to 2002, the last period for which such information is available, decreased from the previous year.

S.B. No. 1467, S.D. 1 (2005) proposes to require all health insurance policies or plans to include coverage for prostate cancer screening. Section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires the Auditor to assess the social and financial effects of mandating coverage for a specific health service, specific disease, or treatment rendered by a certain health care provider, before the Legislature may enact a bill effecting the mandate. This measure authorizes the required "sunrise" analysis.

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.C.R. No. 29, S.D. 1, and recommends its adoption.