STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3515

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 62

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 62 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct a social and financial assessment of proposed mandatory health insurance coverage.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates – Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that recent federal attacks on health care rights, especially reproductive health care rights, has heightened the importance of codifying into state law certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act's no-cost preventative service coverage requirements. Accordingly, House Bill No. 249, introduced in the Regular Session of 2021, would establish the Reproductive Health Equity Act to fortify health benefits and safeguard equitable access to abortion care, expand coverage of critical cost-saving preventative services, and ensure that all people in the State can access these important services, regardless of gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Your Committee further notes that section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires that, before any legislative measure mandating health insurance coverage can be considered, there shall be concurrent resolutions passed requesting the Auditor to conduct an assessment of the social and financial effects of the proposed mandated coverage. This measure is therefore necessary to advance consideration of House Bill No. 249 (2021) and to support continued access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care without discrimination.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language requesting the Auditor to determine whether the proposed mandated benefits in House Bill No. 249 (2021) are in excess of the essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act, thus requiring the State to defray such costs;

(2) Inserting language requesting the Auditor to research whether mandating the full range of reproductive health services, at no cost-share, is in violation of section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act; and

(3) 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 Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 62, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 62, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair