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(If you have a correction, update or new material to add for Hawaii, please see our State to the Nation page where you can add information.)
Section 2706-based bill introduced in legislature, Feb 2, 2015
NOTE: APRIL 10: Hawaii Senate Bill 1217 (SD1HD2) was deferred by the fifth and final committee to hear it. This means it will not move further this year, but will be automatically carried over to the 2016 legislative session.
BACKGROUND
Senate bill 1217 was introduced on January 28 by state senator Rosalyn Baker, Chair of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. The bill reiterates the anti-discrimination purpose of Section 2706, adding these points of context:
- “Section 2706 has been understood to prohibit plans from covering a given service when offered by one type of licensed provider while denying coverage when the same service is provided by another type of licensed provider.
- “Discrimination against any provider group, as a whole, is harmful to patients and restricts their ability to select the provider of their choice.
- “Section 2706 is a vital component of the Affordable Care Act and embodies the federal government’s goals of better access, increased cost efficiency, and enhanced quality of health care.
- “The ability for patients to choose the licensed provider of their choice is integral to the intended full implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
- “The legislature concludes that state law should be aligned with the requirements of section 2706, thereby preserving patient choice in providers and enhancing consumer access to covered benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
“Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to prohibit insurers from discriminating against any health care provider who is acting within the scope of that provider’s license or certification.”
Click here for A PDF copy of Hawaii Senate Bill SB-1217.
(Hawaii provides for online testimony through this page. The process requires registration.)
Reference, Contacts, Complaint Submission
Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs
Catherine P. Awakuni Colón
Interim Director, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
335 Merchant Street; Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 586-2850
DCCA, Health Branch, Insurance Division
(808) 568-2804
(If you can add to or update these references, please see our page, State to the Nation)