CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 19-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2340

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2340, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to ensure certain benefits under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act) are preserved under Hawaii law, including:

(1) Extending dependent coverage for adult children up to twenty-six years of age;

(2) Prohibiting health insurance entities from imposing a preexisting condition exclusion; and

(3) Prohibiting health insurance entities from using an individual's gender to determine premiums or contributions.

Your Committee on Conference finds that the Affordable Care Act has resulted in an estimated 20,000,000 Americans gaining health insurance coverage, while nationwide, the rate of uninsured Americans has decreased by nearly forty percent or more for every income group. Your Committee on Conference further finds that in addition to expanding coverage and improving medical care among young adults and low-income adults, the Affordable Care Act also established important protections for all Americans, in particular women and individuals with pre-existing conditions.

However, your Committee on Conference notes that the future of the Affordable Care Act remains uncertain. This measure therefore ensures that certain benefits established by the Affordable Care Act, and which may not otherwise be available under the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act, including extending dependent coverage for adult children up to twenty-six years of age, preventing denial of coverage for preexisting conditions, and prohibiting health insurance entities from using a person's gender when determining premiums or contributions, remain available for Hawaii residents.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing as unnecessary language that would have provided an exclusion for limited benefit health insurance, as existing law already specifies that the benefits extended by this measure do not apply to limited benefit health insurance;

(2) Changing its effective date to upon approval; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2340, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2340, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Chair
____________________________ LINDA ICHIYAMA Co-Chair	____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH Co-Chair
____________________________ BERTRAND KOBAYASHI Co-Chair