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
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 There being no objection, Amendment 2 was withdrawn.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 AS 21.42.390(b) is repealed January 1, 2003.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.
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