STAND. COM. REP. NO. 749

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1494

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1494, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEARING AIDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require health insurance policies and contracts issued in the State after January 1, 2026, to provide optional health insurance coverage for hearing aids for all types of hearing loss at a minimum coverage benefit of $1,500 per hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every thirty-six months.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board and six individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, Hawaii Association of Health Plans, and Hawaii Medical Service Association.

Your Committee finds that hearing is an essential sense necessary for effective communication, daily functioning, and overall quality of life. Access to hearing aids is crucial for individuals with hearing loss to continue to participate in social, educational, and professional environments. Your Committee further finds that, like eyeglasses, hearing aids require a prescription from a specialized doctor, and a licensed provider is needed to provide the technology. Currently, however, private health insurance plans often provide partial or full coverage for eyeglasses to correct vision, yet coverage for hearing aids remains inconsistent and insufficient. This measure ensures that individuals with hearing loss have improved access and affordability to necessary hearing aids through private insurance carriers.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1494, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1494, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair