STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3618

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.C.R. No. 62

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 62, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF REQUIRING HEALTH INSURERS TO PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Auditor to assess the social and financial effects of requiring health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Kaiser Permanente, Autism Speaks, the Disability and Communication Access Board, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, the Autism Society of Hawaii, and one private individual.

 

     Your Committees find that a similar measure to this is making its way through the Legislature.  Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting language that requests the Auditor to conduct an impact assessment report, pursuant to sections 23-51 and 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of the social and financial impacts of mandating coverage of medical surveillance systems for all policies and contracts, hospital and medical service plan contracts, medical service corporation contracts, and health maintenance organization plans and contracts, as provided in S.B. No. 409, S.D. 2, H.D. 1 (2008).

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 62, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 62, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing,

 

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair