STAND. COM. REP. NO. 360

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 615

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Health and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 615 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INFERTILITY PROCEDURES,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require coverage of infertility treatments including procedures other than in vitro fertilization and to remove the requirement that recipients of infertility treatments be married in order to provide an increased number of covered infertility treatments to a broader group of Hawaii's residents.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Pacific In Vitro Fertilization Institute, Hawaii Reproductive Center, and nine private citizens.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Medical Service Association.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

 

     Your Committees find that over the past twenty-four years, many improvements have been made to the in vitro fertilization process and that pregnancy rates have continued to go up year after year.  However, nationally and in Hawaii, many couples remain childless after only one in vitro fertilization attempt. Your Committees further find that this measure will enable many more childless couples to have an increased chance at having a family.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring covered in vitro fertilization procedures to be performed at medical facilities that are members of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies to ensure that in vitro fertilization procedures are performed at quality facilities that abide by established standards of care; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 615, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 615, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Judiciary and Labor,

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair