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THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO IMPROVE STATEWIDE
    DIABETES AWARENESS AND EDUCATION AND TO CONVENE A TASK
    FORCE TO ADDRESS EARLY DETECTION AND SCREENING.



 1        WHEREAS, an estimated 16,000,000 people in the United
 2   States have diabetes mellitus -- a serious, lifelong condition
 3   -- and about half of these people do not know they have
 4   diabetes and are not under care for the disorder while each
 5   year, about 798,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, diabetes cost the United States $98,000,000,000
 8   in 1997 with indirect costs, including disability payments,
 9   time lost from work, and premature death, amounting to
10   $54,000,000,000, and medical costs for diabetes care, including
11   hospitalizations, medical care, and treatment supplies,
12   amounting to $44,000,000,000; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, diabetes is an insidious, noncontagious disease
15   in which a lack of insulin or the body's inability to use the
16   insulin correctly, prevents the absorption of glucose, the
17   body's main source of nutrient, into the body's cells so that
18   the unabsorbed glucose in the bloodstream is then lost through
19   the action of the kidneys; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, there are two types of diabetes:
22   
23        (1)  Type 1 diabetes (once known as insulin-dependent
24             diabetes mellitus or juvenile diabetes) is considered
25             an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks
26             the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and
27             destroys them.  As a result, the pancreas then
28             produces little or no insulin.  Type 1 diabetes
29             develops most often in children and young adults, but
30             the disorder can appear at any age; and
31   
32        (2)  Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes,
33             accounting for about ninety to ninety-five per cent
34             of people with diabetes.  This form of diabetes
35             usually develops in adults over the age of fifty and

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        


 1             is most common among adults over age fifty-five.  In
 2             type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually produces
 3             insulin, but for some reason, the body cannot use the
 4             insulin effectively.  The end result is the same as
 5             for type 1 diabetes -- an unhealthy buildup of
 6             glucose in the blood and an inability of the body to
 7             make efficient use of its main source of fuel;
 8   
 9   and
10   
11        WHEREAS, diabetes is associated with long-term
12   complications that affect almost every major part of the body,
13   contributing to blindness, heart disease, strokes, kidney
14   failure, amputations, and nerve damage, and uncontrolled
15   diabetes can complicate pregnancy and birth defects are more
16   common in babies born to women with diabetes; and
17   
18        WHEREAS, the symptoms of type 1 diabetes include increased
19   thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred
20   vision, and extreme tiredness.  If not diagnosed and treated
21   with insulin, a person can lapse into a life-threatening coma;
22   and
23   
24        WHEREAS, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop gradually
25   and are not as noticeable and include feeling tired or ill,
26   frequent urination, especially at night, unusual thirst, weight
27   loss, blurred vision, frequent infections, and slow healing of
28   sores; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, diabetes is a manageable disease once detected
31   and early detection would prevent the many horrific effects of
32   the disease; and
33   
34        WHEREAS, most health plans only provide coverage for
35   equipment and supplies and do not regularly provide free early
36   detection screening for diabetes; now, therefore,
37   
38        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
39   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
40   Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health is
41   requested to improve statewide diabetes awareness and education
42   and to convene a task force, including but not limited to,

 
 
 
 
 
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 1   representatives from the major health plans, the MedQUEST
 2   Division of the Department of Human Services, and the Hawaii
 3   State Primary Care Association to address early detection
 4   screening for diabetes; and
 5   
 6        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each insurer of accident and
 7   sickness insurance policies providing coverage for health care,
 8   that is issued or renewed in this State, is requested to
 9   provide for early detection screening for diabetes; and
10   
11        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is
12   requested to report its findings and recommendations, including
13   any necessary proposed legislation, to the Legislature twenty
14   days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
15   
16        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
17   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health
18   and the Insurance Commissioner for transmission to all health
19   insurers in this State.