STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2587

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2204

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2204 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide that certain pregnant women receiving substance abuse treatment are eligible for substance abuse treatment as well as mental health services for an additional twelve months following childbirth.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Psychological Association, Democratic Party of Hawaii, American Academy of Pediatrics, Planned Parenthood, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii Maternal and Infant Health Collaborative, March of Dimes, and nine individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services.

 

     Your Committee finds that women who are ineligible for postpartum health coverage struggle to get necessary care during the fourth trimester, the twelve weeks following childbirth.  Your Committee notes that these twelve weeks are a critical time as women are more likely to die of pregnancy-related conditions during this time than during pregnancy or childbirth.  Nationwide, drug overdoses, suicides, and pregnancy-related chronic illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, contribute to a rise in deaths among women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the first twelve months after childbirth.

 

     Your Committee also finds that according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adequate medical attention could prevent three out of five pregnancy-related deaths.  Further, medicaid pregnancy coverage, which pays for nearly half of all births in the United States, expires sixty days after childbirth, leaving many women without adequate health care.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Expanding eligibility for medical assistance to pregnant women for a twelve-month period following their pregnancy; and

 

     (2)  Deleting the requirement that makes receiving substance abuse and mental health treatment contingent to adherence to substance abuse treatment program.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2204, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2204, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair