STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2182

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2105

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2105 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Health to convene a mental health and substance abuse parity working group to determine how the State can come into compliance with federal mental health and substance abuse parity laws and regulations and enhance existing state parity laws.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from HMSA, the Salvation Army Addiction Treatment Services, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, and the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and the Legislative Reference Bureau.

     Your Committee finds that treatment for behavioral health disorders continues to be costlier and more difficult to obtain than general medical care.  Your Committee also finds that the United States Department of the Treasury's Interim Final Rules pertaining to the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 require that group health plans have no more restrictions on mental health and substance abuse disorders than on medical or surgical benefits and require that the State take action to ensure compliance with federal parity laws.  The working group established by this measure is necessary in order to determine how to best implement and improve state parity laws.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding one licensed medical professional, psychologist, and clinical social worker, and one mental health consumer representative to the working group; and

     (2)  Removing the requirement that the working group review provisions in national health care reform laws and regulations that:

          (A)  Address behavioral health provider shortage through grant programs to train and educate providers; and

          (B)  Address research needs in specialty areas of mental health care.

     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. 2105, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2105, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair