STAND. COM. REP. NO.  5-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2119

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2119 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ANATOMICAL TRANSPLANTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to prohibit health insurers from denying coverage for organ tissue transplantation services to an insured subscriber on the basis that the subscriber is infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

     The Gay and Lesbian Education and Advocacy Foundation and a concerned individual supported this bill.  The Hawaii Association of Health Plans opposed this measure.  The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Hawaii Medical Service Association submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

     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 H.B. No. 2119, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2119, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair