STAND. COM. REP. NO.
Honolulu, Hawaii
APR 2 3 2024
RE: H.C.R. No. 53
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2024
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and
Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 53
entitled:
"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO ASSESS
THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF MANDATORY HEALTH
INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR BIOMARKER TESTING,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the
Auditor to assess the social and financial effects of mandatory
health insurance coverage for biomarker testing.
Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure
from the Disability and Communication Access Board, Epilepsy
Foundation of Hawaii, American Lung Association Hawai‘i, American
Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, International Cancer
Advocacy Network, Alzheimer's Association - Hawaii, and six
individuals.
Your Committees find that biomarker testing, which is the
analysis of a patient's tissue, blood, or other biospecimen for
the presence of a gene, protein, or other substance that can
provide information about a patient's disease or condition, allows
for a more precise and personalized approach to medical care. As
precision medicine becomes the standard of care in treatment for
diseases like cancer, mental health, and autoimmune diseases,
biomarker testing has risen in importance as the gateway to many
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 STAND. COM. REP. NO.
Page 2
of these therapies. However, your Committees find that despite
the many benefits of biomarker testing, the lack of insurance
coverage for comprehensive testing creates a financial obstacle
for many patients who would otherwise benefit greatly from the
testing.
Your Committees note that H.B. No. 2223, H.D. 1, Regular
Session of 2024, proposes to require health insurers, mutual
benefit societies, health maintenance organizations, and health
plans under the State's Medicaid managed care program to provide
coverage for biomarker testing, beginning on January 1, 2025.
Section 23—51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires new measures
mandating 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, to be
referred, via concurrent resolution, to the Auditor for analysis.
Section 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, specifies the minimum
information required for assessing the social and financial impact
of the proposed health insurance coverage mandate in the Auditor's
report. Accordingly, this measure requests the Auditor to analyze
the proposed mandatory health insurance coverage for biomarker
testing in accordance with sections 23—51 and 23-52, Hawaii
Revised Statutes.
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 H.C.R. No. 53, and recommend
its adoption.
Respectfully submitted on
behalf of the members of the
Committees on Commerce and
Consumer Protection and Health
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 The Senate
Thirty-Second Legislature
State of Hawaii
Record of Votes
Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection
CPN
Bill / Resolution No.:* Committee Referral: Date:
cp/\)/zyHs
__ The Committee is reconsidering its previous decision on this measure.
If so, then the previous decision was to: ___________________________________
The Recommendation is:
IJ^^ass, unamended Pass, with amendments Hold Recommit
2312 2311 2310 2313
Members Aye Aye (WR) Nay Excused
KEOHOKALOLE, Jarrett (C) iX"
FUKUNAGA, Carol (VC)
MCKELVEY, Angus L.K.
RICHARDS, III, Herbert M. “Tim"
1/^
AWA, Brenton
TOTAL f
Recommendation:
l_Jf**Adopted __ Not Adopted
Chair’s or Designee’s Signature:
Distribution: Yellow Pink Goldenrod
File with Committee Report Clerk's Office Drafting Agency Committee File Copy
*Only one measure per Record of Votes
Revised: 12/27/23
 The Senate
Thirty-Second Legislature
State of Hawai‘i
Record of Votes
Committee on Health and Human Services
HHS
Bill / Resolution No.:* Committee Referral: Date:
HCPSi CVW/HHS
__ The Committee is reconsidering its previous decision on this measure.
If so, then the previous decision was to:___________________________________
The Recommendation is:
|_^ Pass, unamended Pass, with amendments __ Hold __ Recommit
2312 2311 2310 2313
Members Aye Aye (WR) Nay Excused
SAN BUENAVENTURA, Joy A. (C)
AQUINO, Henry J.C. (VC)
KEOHOKALOLE, Jarrett
SHIMABUKURO, Maile S.L.
AWA, Brenton
TOTAL /
Recommendation: x- '
|_^ Adopted __ Not Adopted
Chair’s or Designee’s Signature^^^^,,^
Distribution: Original Yellow Pink^ Goldenrod
File with Committee Report Clerk's Office Drafting Agency Committee File Copy
*Only one measure per Record of Votes
Revised: 12/27/23