THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	61
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF MANDATING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR HEARING AIDS.

WHEREAS, according to the National Institutes of Health, about one-third of Americans between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-five, and approximately one-half of those older than seventy-five, have some degree of hearing loss; and

WHEREAS, one digital hearing aid can cost $3,000 or more, and because about fifty percent of childhood hearing loss is due to genetic causes, more than one member in a family may need to wear hearing aids, thereby multiplying the financial burden of purchasing hearing aids; and

WHEREAS, while most health insurance plans in Hawaii cover the purchase of hearing aids, the amount of coverage may be low, leaving the patient with a large copayment; and

WHEREAS, it is not unusual for people with hearing loss to choose to delay or forgo the purchase of hearing aids because they are unable to pay for them; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, before any legislative measure that mandates health insurance coverage for specific health services, specific diseases, or certain providers of health care services as part of individual or group health insurance policies can be considered, there shall be a concurrent resolution passed that designates a specific legislative measure for the Auditor to review and on which to prepare a report for submission to the Legislature that assesses both the social and financial effects of the proposed mandated coverage; and

WHEREAS, Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 34, S.D. 1 (2014), requested the Auditor to analyze the social and financial effects of mandating health insurance coverage for hearing aids, as proposed in S.B. No. 309, S.D. 1, Regular Session of 2014; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Report No. 14-10, dated October 2014, the Auditor determined that S.B. No. 309, S.D. 1 (2014), lacked certain coverage parameters, including the frequency for replacement or costs to be covered by insurers for hearing aids; and

WHEREAS, S.B. No. 2439, S.D. 2, introduced during the Regular Session of 2022, contains specific coverage parameters that would require health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for hearing aids, subject to a minimum benefit of $1,500 per hearing impaired ear every thirty-six months; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, an updated assessment by the Auditor analyzing the specific, mandatory health insurance coverage parameters provided in S.B. No. 2439, S.D. 2, Regular Session of 2022, is warranted; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct an assessment, pursuant to sections 23-51 and 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of the social and financial effects of mandating health insurance coverage for hearing aids, as proposed in S.B. No. 2439, S.D. 2, which was introduced during the Regular Session of 2022; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation and updates to Report No. 14-10, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and Insurance Commissioner.

Report Title:

Hearing Aids; Auditor to Assess Effects