STAND. COM. REP. NO. 573

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 166

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 166 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to ensure that oral chemotherapy treatments are covered by health insurance by requiring health insurance providers to provide parity of coverage for oral and intravenous chemotherapy.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services and the American Cancer Society.  Testimony in opposition of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Association of Health Plans and Hawaii Medical Service Association.  Comments on this measure were submitted by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus.

 

     Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that most insurers provide coverage for chemotherapy treatments.  Therefore, the need for an Auditor's impact assessment report is unnecessary.

 

     Your Committees further find that this measure is intended to cover all chemotherapy drugs and treatments regardless of how the drugs or treatments are administered and regardless of whether the treatment is considered pharmaceutical or not.

 

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that all cancer treatments, including oral and intravenous treatments, shall be covered by health insurance providers regardless of how the treatments are administered;

 

     (2)  Excluding the provisions of this Act from section 23-51 which requires an Auditor's impact assessment report;

 

     (3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050 to encourage further discussion on the matter; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 166, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 166, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair