STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2068

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2343

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2343 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MAMMOGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to prohibit an insurer from requiring a doctor's referral for annual mammograms for covered individuals over forty years old.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Nursing Advocates and Mentors, Inc., the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, the Oahu Filipino Community Council, the Filipino American Citizens League, the Congress of Visayan Organizations, the Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, the Maui Filipino Working Group, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region XII, Filipinos for Affirmative Action, the Philippine Nurses Association of Hawaii, and two individual citizens.  Your Committee received testimony in support of the intent of the measure with amendments from Kaiser Permanente and the American Cancer Society.  The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs submitted comments.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that women over forty are at higher risk for breast cancer and that annual mammograms would increase early detection.  Your Committee further finds that, to minimize impediments that women face in getting mammograms, no-referral annual mammograms for women over forty need to be permitted.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the screening exam mentioned in the measure does not include a follow up exam.

     (2)  Mandating that the results of the no-referral mammograms be sent to the patient's primary care physician or a physician designated by the patient.

     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. 2343, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2343, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair