HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	110
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO UPDATE ITS REPORT no. 12-09, which ASSESSes THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR FERTILITY PRESERVATION PROCEDURES FOR PERSONS OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER.

 

 

        WHEREAS, certain cancers and treatment procedures may affect a person's ability to procreate by damaging the person's reproductive organs; and

 

        WHEREAS, due to the high costs of fertility preservation procedures and the narrow window to obtain services, the procedure is unattainable for many people; and

 

        WHEREAS, mandated health care coverage for fertility preservation procedures would allow persons who are diagnosed with cancer, and who will undergo treatment that may affect their fertility, to have the opportunity to have a family in the future; and

 

        WHEREAS, section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires that "before 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 [A]uditor to prepare and submit to the [L]egislature a report that assesses both the social and financial effects of the proposed mandated coverage . . ."; and

 

        WHEREAS, section 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, outlines the specific topics to be addressed in the Auditor's report required under section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Legislature adopted H.C.R. No. 9, S.D. 1 during the Regular Session of 2012 to assess mandating health insurance screening coverage of fertility preservation procedures for persons of reproductive age diagnosed with cancer; and

 

        WHEREAS, in October 2012, the Auditor issued its Report No. 12-09, entitled "Mandatory Health Insurance Coverage for Fertility Preservation Procedures for People of Reproductive Age Diagnosed with Cancer"; and

 

        WHEREAS, the report found that "there is insufficient data to assess the social and financial impacts of mandating insurance coverage.  Individuals diagnosed with cancer, who may want to preserve their reproductive ability, must seek the service on their own and bear the full costs, which could be upwards of $10,000. . . . [B]ut we conclude that the number of people generally utilizing the procedures is unknown and the level of public demand is low"; and

 

        WHEREAS, since that time, there have been ten states that have enacted fertility preservation coverage:  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island; and

 

        WHEREAS, with the experience in ten other states of various size, geography, and demographics, the Auditor can now evaluate additional experiential data and actual financial impacts can likely be better assessed for updated and more accurate findings, especially with published detailed reports from California and Connecticut; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to update its impact assessment Report No. 12-09 and pursuant to sections 23-51 and 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, evaluate the social and financial effects of mandating coverage for fertility preservation procedures for persons who are of reproductive age and have been diagnosed with cancer, and will undergo treatment that may adversely affect the person's fertility; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the Insurance Commissioner who, in turn, is requested to transmit copies to each organization that issues health insurance policies in the State that may be affected by this Concurrent Resolution.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:  

Fertility Preservation Procedures; Cancer; Insurance; Auditor