STAND. COM. REP. NO.1189

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.C.R. No. 48

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 48 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING HEALTH CARE PLANS AND PROVIDERS TO PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR AND UTILIZE HEARING SCREENING IN OLDER PATIENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to:

(1) Urge health care insurers to include coverage for hearing care in insurance plans for older adult patients; and

(2) Encourage physicians to use appropriate health screening when caring for older adult patients.

The Executive Office on Aging testified in support of this measure with an amendment. Kaiser Permanente commented that hearing screening is already covered in their insurance plans.

Your Committee understands that the health, safety, and quality of life of an individual is affected by their ability to hear. Furthermore, your Committee recognizes that hearing loss is one of the most chronic conditions that affect the elderly in the United States, especially women.

 

Routine hearing screening of the elderly could make a difference for a person who might otherwise consciously disregard the noticeable signs of hearing loss. Signs of hearing loss at a hearing screening may alert individuals to seek medical attention for their condition and may result in lower medical costs in the long run due to early detection of a disorder.

Your Committee finds that there are health care plans designed for persons aged 65 and older who are recipients of Medicare coverage and that insurance coverage for annual or other routine screening for hearing loss can be built into these plans.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Limiting hearing care coverage to health insurance plans designed for those aged sixty-five and older, namely the Medicare population; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 48, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 48, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair