STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3703

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 13

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 13 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO AMEND TITLE XIX OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT TO REQUIRE MEDICAID TO COVER THE ROUTINE COSTS OF CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS WHO ARE ENROLLED IN CLINICAL TRIALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge Congress to amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act to require Medicaid to cover the routine costs of care for patients with life-threatening conditions who are enrolled in clinical trials.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that unlike Medicare, Medicaid is not federally required to cover routine care costs, such as physician visits and laboratory studies, for clinical trials. Members of Congress recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation, the Clinical Treatment Act (H.R. 913), which would guarantee coverage of the routine care costs of clinical trial participation for Medicaid enrollees with a life-threatening condition. Your Committee further finds that clinical trials often underrepresent certain groups and guaranteeing Medicaid coverage for patients who choose to participate in clinical trials will encourage participation by those underrepresented groups. This measure urges Congress to pass the Clinical Treatment Act to amend federal law to require Medicaid to cover the routine costs of care for patients with life threatening conditions who are enrolled in clinical trials.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 13, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 13, S.D. 1.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair