STAND. COM. REP. NO.  183-18

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2018

 

RE:   H.B. No. 687

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health & Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 687 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure as received by your Committee, is to adopt provisions from the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act relating to the extension of dependent coverage and the prohibition of preexisting condition exclusions to become effective in the event of the repeal of the federal Act.

 

     For the purposes of a public hearing on this measure, your Committee circulated a proposed H.B. No. 687, H.D. 1 (Proposed Draft) and notified the public that it would be accepting testimony on this proposal, which requires insurance coverage for qualifying patients for the costs of transportation to the continental United States for life-saving medical care that is not available in the State.

 

     The American Academy of Pediatrics Hawaii Chapter, Hawaii Pacific Health, and numerous concerned individuals supported the Proposed Draft.  The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Hawaii Medical Service Association, and The Queen's Health Systems provided comments.

 

     Your Committee notes the concerns raised in testimony on this measure regarding:

 

     (1)  The creation of a new mandated benefit that may trigger the requirement under the Affordable Care Act that the State defray the additional cost of any new benefits in excess of essential health benefits required for the State's Qualified Health Plans; and

 

     (2)  The statutory requirement for a Concurrent Resolution requesting the Auditor to prepare and submit an impact assessment report on the social and financial impacts of any new proposed insurance coverage mandate, pursuant to section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

 

     Your Committee considered the merits of both H.B. No. 687, H.D. 1, as received by your Committee, and the Proposed Draft, and upon careful consideration, adopted the Proposed Draft and changed its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 687, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 687, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Human Services,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair