Hawaii-2014-HR107-Introduced

WHEREAS, House Bill No. 373, enacted as Act 5, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, requires, beginning January 1, 2014, that every health care facility in which a mammography examination is performed provide a mammography report and notification to each patient who is categorized by the facility as having dense breast tissue; and

WHEREAS, this statutory requirement specifies that the notification must include in the summary of the mammography report sent to the patient, pursuant to the federal Mammography Quality Standards Act, the following information:

Your mammogram shows that your breast tissue is dense. Dense breast tissue is very common and is not abnormal. However, dense breast tissue can make it harder to find cancer on a mammogram and may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This information about the result of your mammogram is given to you to raise your awareness. Use this information to talk to your physician as to whether, based on your risk, more screening tests might be useful. A report of your results was sent to your physician.; and

WHEREAS, further screening is an essential diagnostic tool to detect breast cancer for women who are found to have dense breast tissue; and

WHEREAS, health insurance coverage for further screening for women found to have dense breast tissue is not available, and, therefore, any additional screening for detection must be borne out-of-pocket and in many instances is cost-prohibitive; and

WHEREAS, three states--Connecticut, Illinois, and Indiana--have enacted legislation that mandates health insurance coverage for further screening for women found through mammography to have dense breast tissue; and

WHEREAS, nationwide, about 50 percent of women are classified as having dense breast tissue; and

WHEREAS, women who receive the notification required by Act 5, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, may seek further screening only to be informed that the additional screening is not covered by health insurance in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, House Bill No. has been introduced during the Regular Session of 2014 to mandate health insurance coverage for medical services for women with dense breast tissue; and

WHEREAS, 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 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..."; and

WHEREAS, section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, further provides that "[t]he Resolutions shall designate a specific legislative bill that:

(1) Has been introduced in the Legislature; and

(2) Includes, at minimum, information identifying the:

(A) Specific health service, disease, or provider that would be covered;

(B) Extent of the coverage;

(D) Limits on utilization, if any; and

(E) Standards of care."; and

WHEREAS, section 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, further specifies the minimum information required for assessing the social and financial impact of the proposed health coverage mandate in the Auditor's report; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, that the Auditor is requested to conduct an impact assessment report pursuant to sections 23-51 and 23-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, of the social and financial effects of mandating health insurance coverage for further screening for women who have been found through a mammography to have dense breast tissue; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to include in the impact assessment report data as to the incidence of cancer detection upon further screening where evidence of cancer was not found through a standard mammography; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that as part of the impact assessment, the Auditor is requested to determine whether the notification requirement in Act 5, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, is unnecessary such that this Act should be repealed; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit findings and recommendations to the Legislature, including any necessary implementing legislation, no later than 20 days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2015; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and Insurance Commissioner, who is requested to transmit a copy of this Resolution to each insurer in the State that issues a health insurance policy.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Auditor Assessment; Mandated Health Insurance; Dense Breast Tissue

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	107
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII