STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3063

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 124

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 124 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF REQUIRING HEALTH INSURERS TO PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND OBESITY TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct an impact assessment report, pursuant to sections 23-51 and 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of the social and financial impacts of mandating coverage for weight management and obesity prevention for children in all individual and group accident and health or sickness insurance policies, as provided in S.B. No. 794 (2009).

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Kaiser Permanente, American Academy of Pediatrics, Hawaii Family Forum, Hawaii Catholic Conference, Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, and one individual.  Comments were received from the Hawaii Medical Service Association.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     S.B. No. 794, S.D. 1, Regular Session of 2009, proposes to require health insurance providers to include in their policies coverage for weight management and obesity prevention, evaluation, and guidance services for children covered under the policy.

     Childhood obesity is a growing concern in the State with 26.9 percent of children ages 10-17 being overweight or obese.  Obesity in children has been associated with the growing incidence in adults of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, poor self-esteem, and poor health.  A 2004 report estimated that in Hawaii the medical costs attributable to adult obesity totaled $290,000,000, of which $30,000,000 was expended by Medicare, $90,000,000 by Medicaid, and $170,000,000 from other sources.

     Successful treatment of overweight and obese children may prevent the burden of medical and social problems they face as adults and the associated medical costs to the health care system. 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 124, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 124, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair