STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1697

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 202

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 202 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A SUNRISE ANALYSIS ON MANDATING PARITY IN VITRO FERTILIZATION HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct a sunrise analysis on mandating parity in vitro fertilization health insurance coverage for same-sex couples, unmarried women, and opposite-sex couples for whom male infertility is the relevant factor.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fertility Institute of Hawaii, Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and five individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from Hawaii Medical Service Association.

Your Committees finds that section 23—51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires that "[b]efore any legislative measure that mandates health insurance coverage for specific health services, specific diseases, or certain providers of health care services as part of individual or group health insurance policies, can be considered, there shall be concurrent resolutions passed requesting the auditor to prepare and submit to the legislature a report that assesses both the social and financial effects of the proposed mandated coverage." Senate Bill No. 993, introduced in the Regular Session of 2023, proposes to require health insurers and similar entities that provide coverage for in vitro fertilization procedures for certain married opposite-sex couples to provide parity coverage for same-sex couples, unmarried women, and opposite-sex couples for whom male infertility is the relevant factor. This measure requests the Auditor to conduct a social and financial assessment of the mandatory health insurance coverage proposed by Senate Bill No. 993 (2023), in accordance with section 23—51, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting references to Senate Bill No. 993 (2023), where necessary;

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

(3) Amending its title accordingly.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 202, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 202, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair