THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	141
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A SUNRISE REVIEW OF insurance coverage for sexually transmitted disease testing.

     WHEREAS, some women may have difficulty receiving proper screenings for sexually transmitted diseases; and

     WHEREAS, more than 1,200,000 people in the United States are living with human immunodeficiency virus and almost one in eight affected persons is unaware of the infection; and

     WHEREAS, it is estimated that, each year, more than fifty thousand cases of human immunodeficiency virus are reported, with one in four of the new infections striking those between the ages of thirteen and twenty-four; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has the fifteenth highest rate of chlamydial infection in the country, with significant disparities across age and racial and ethnic groups in disease prevalence; and

     WHEREAS, despite clear national recommendations for sexually transmitted disease testing, rates of testing in young women are troublingly low; and

     WHEREAS, early detection of sexually transmitted diseases is paramount to proper health care; and

     WHEREAS, preventive health services can save lives and improve health by identifying illnesses earlier, managing illnesses more effectively, and treating illnesses before they develop into more complicated, debilitating conditions; and

     WHEREAS, certain health care providers may not screen specifically for some sexually transmitted diseases, even though the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires health insurance to cover recommended preventive health services without any patient cost sharing; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a sunrise review of insurance coverage for sexually transmitted disease testing as proposed in S.B. No. 2323, S.D. 1, Regular Session of Hawaii 2016; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Sunrise Analysis; Insurance Coverage for Sexually Transmitted Disease Testing