STAND. COM. REP. NO.  2-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   H.B. No. 823

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 823 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the health and quality of care for people by ensuring health insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screening by any of the methods specified by the 2008 Colorectal Cancer Screening Guideline prepared by the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology.

     The American Cancer Society Hawaii Pacific, Inc., and Hawaii Pacific Health supported this bill.  The Hawaii Association of Health Plans opposed this measure.  The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Auditor, and Hawaii Medical Service Association submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing the date by which health insurance providers in Hawaii must inform their insured of the risk associated with undiagnosed colorectal cancer and encourage the insured to consult with the insured's physician about available screening options from March 1, 2010, to March 1, 2011;

(2)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion;

(3)  Establishing that this bill, should it become enacted, will apply to policies, contracts, and plans of health insurance issued or renewed after January 1, 2011; and

(4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 823, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 823, 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,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair