STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1680-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.C.R. No. 35

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 35, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF REQUIRING HEALTH INSURERS TO PROVIDE INFERTILITY PROCEDURE COVERAGE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct an impact assessment report of the social and financial impacts of mandating coverage for infertility procedure coverage by all health insurers, as proposed in S.B. No. 2909, S.D. 1, from the Regular Session of 2014.

Your committees received testimony in support of this measure from Kaiser Permanente. Two individuals supported the measure with amendments. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs offered comments.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by requesting that the Auditor's impact assessment report additionally examine statutory compliance requirements regarding state mandated benefits across Essential Health Benefits Benchmarks Plans. Your Committees have further amended this measure by requesting the Auditor to research the underwriting of the existing Hawaii IVF mandated Essential Health Benefit over the past twenty-seven years since it was first passed.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Consumer Protection & Commerce that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 35, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 35, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________ ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair