Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/22/2000 03:20 PM House L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
March 22, 2000
3:20 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Norman Rokeberg, Chairman
Representative Andrew Halcro, Vice Chairman
Representative Lisa Murkowski
Representative John Harris
Representative Tom Brice
Representative Sharon Cissna
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jerry Sanders
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 298
"An Act requiring that health care insurers provide coverage for
treatment of diabetes."
- MOVED CSHB 298(L&C) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 303
"An Act relating to the method of payment of fees and adoption of
regulations under AS 21; relating to orders under AS 21 regarding
risk based capital instructions; relating to accounting standards
for insurance companies; amending the definitions of 'creditable
coverage' and 'late enrollees' in AS 21.54; relating to
requirements for small employer insurers; relating to
requirements for issuance of new voting securities by an
insurance company; requiring health care insurance coverage for
reconstructive surgery following mastectomy; requiring guaranteed
renewability of and certification of coverage regarding certain
individual health insurance policies; and providing for an
effective date."
- MOVED HB 303 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HB 298
SHORT TITLE: REQUIRE HEALTH INS COVERAGE FOR DIABETES
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
1/21/00 1961 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
1/21/00 1961 (H) HES, L&C, FIN
1/24/00 1996 (H) COSPONSOR(S): PHILLIPS
2/22/00 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
2/22/00 (H) Moved CSHB 298(HES) Out of Committee
2/22/00 (H) MINUTE(HES)
2/25/00 2315 (H) COSPONSOR(S): CISSNA
2/28/00 2327 (H) HES RPT CS(HES) 6DP 1DNP
2/28/00 2328 (H) DP: GREEN, MORGAN, DYSON, WHITAKER,
2/28/00 2328 (H) KEMPLEN, BRICE; DNP: COGHILL
2/28/00 2328 (H) ZERO FISCAL NOTE (DCED)
2/28/00 2328 (H) REFERRED TO LABOR & COMMERCE
3/17/00 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM CAPITOL 17
3/17/00 (H) Heard & Held
3/17/00 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
3/20/00 2620 (H) COSPONSOR(S): KERTTULA
3/22/00 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM CAPITOL 17
BILL: HB 303
SHORT TITLE: MISC. INSURANCE PROVISIONS
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
1/21/00 1967 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
1/21/00 1967 (H) L&C, HES
1/21/00 1967 (H) ZERO FISCAL NOTE (DCED)
1/21/00 1967 (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER
3/20/00 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM CAPITOL 17
3/20/00 (H) Heard & Held
3/20/00 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
3/22/00 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM CAPITOL 17
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 00-33, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIRMAN NORMAN ROKEBERG called the House Labor and Commerce
Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:20 p.m. Members present
at the call to order were Representatives Rokeberg, Halcro,
Murkowski, Harris and Brice. Representative Cissna arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
[For minutes on the overview regarding industry involvement in
workforce development, see minutes for portion of meeting begun
this date at 3:32 p.m.]
HB 298-REQUIRE HEALTH INS COVERAGE FOR DIABETES
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 298, "An Act requiring that health care insurers
provide coverage for treatment of diabetes." [Before the
committee was CSHB 298(HES), as amended (Amendment 1) at the
hearing on 3/17/00. There also had been a motion to adopt
Amendment 2.]
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG made a motion to withdraw Amendment 2. There
being no objection, Amendment 2 was withdrawn.
Number 0112
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO made a motion to adopt Amendment 3, which
read [original punctuation provided]:
Page 2, Line 1, insert new subsection (b) to read:
(b) The amount of coverage for the cost of diabetes
outpatient self management training or education is
limited to $1,500.00 per person per year.
Re-letter following subsection.
Page 2, Line 6, add new Sec. 2 to read:
*Sec. 2. AS 21.42.390(b) is repealed January 1, 2003.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG objected.
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI explained that a cap was discussed at
the previous meeting. She said:
The discussion that we had heard was that education is
a real key component to diabetes care, and they had
agreed to a cap, that they would like to see the cap
higher to make it a more realistic cap. And so we are
presenting to the committee a cap of $1,500 per person
per year, ... with the repealer January 1, 2003, for
the cap, giving the insurance companies hopefully some
time to make sure that this works, run their numbers,
do what it is that they feel that they have to do.
We feel that this is a workable compromise. I will,
for the record, state that Mr. Evans' [Gordon Evans,
who had proposed Amendment 2] clients aren't entirely
satisfied with it; and I think some are looking at this
as that this may be the lesser of the evils, because
otherwise ... there's a possibility that this would go
forward without a cap at all. But I think that it is a
fair compromise at this point, and I would encourage
the members to support it.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated:
I would prefer the entire amendment at a lower amount,
because I think in the spectrum of the public costs and
with the sunset provision, they will be given the
opportunity to review and see if that was adequate,
inadequate, and also, with the testimony we had, I
believe the rough estimates - as I recall the testimony
- were between, say, $3,000 and $6,000 a year,
depending on the severity of the disease. And what has
to be provided to the patient does vary, of course, but
this is only a component of the total benefits that
would be mandated.
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO referred to previous testimony by Young
Shin, Registered Dietician, who had stated that the cost for
management training and education would be anywhere between $500
to $2,000. He wondered if the amendment only pertained to
management training and education.
REPRESENTATIVE MURKOWSKI clarified that the cap specifically
refers to management training and education.
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO explained that he did not support the cap
at the previous hearing on HB 298 because he thinks training and
education is the foundation of treating diabetes. He noted that
he will support the [present] amendment.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG withdrew his objection to Amendment 3.
Number 0536
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO made a motion to move HB 298 [CSHB
298(HES)], as amended, out of committee with individual
recommendations and the attached zero fiscal notes. There being
no objection, CSHB 298 (L&C) moved out of the House Labor and
Commerce Standing Committee.
HB 303-MISC. INSURANCE PROVISIONS
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 303, "An Act relating to the method of payment of
fees and adoption of regulations under AS 21; relating to orders
under AS 21 regarding risk based capital instructions; relating
to accounting standards for insurance companies; amending the
definitions of 'creditable coverage' and 'late enrollees' in AS
21.54; relating to requirements for small employer insurers;
relating to requirements for issuance of new voting securities by
an insurance company; requiring health care insurance coverage
for reconstructive surgery following mastectomy; requiring
guaranteed renewability of and certification of coverage
regarding certain individual health insurance policies; and
providing for an effective date."
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG explained that this bill makes some technical
corrections including the federally mandated reconstructive
surgery following a mastectomy. He commented that it is
important to make these technical corrections to state statute in
order to retain primacy of the Division of Insurance on the
health insurance in Alaska with respect to affordability.
Number 0647
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO made a motion to move HB 303 out of
committee with individual recommendations and the attached zero
fiscal note. There being no objection, HB 303 moved out of the
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG called an at-ease to prepare for the overview
regarding industry involvement in workforce development. [For
that portion of the meeting, see minutes for this date, 3:32
p.m.]
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