Bill > HB710

This bill aims to improve insurance coverage and medical necessity determinations for gender-affirming care in Hawaii by amending existing statutes to prohibit health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations from arbitrarily denying coverage for gender-affirming services. The bill requires insurance carriers to take into account the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care when determining medical necessity, and mandates that any denial of coverage for gender-affirming services must include a detailed, plain-language explanation specifically addressing the individual's request. The legislation also requires that coverage denials be reviewed by healthcare providers with current experience in gender-affirming care, ensures that gender identity cannot be considered a behavioral health condition for determining medical necessity, and requires insurance providers to make coverage information publicly available on their websites. Additionally, the bill aims to address health disparities and high suicide rates among transgender individuals by ensuring access to medically necessary gender-affirming care, and it explicitly prohibits blanket cosmetic exclusions for gender-affirming services that would be covered for non-transition purposes. The changes apply to individual and group health insurance policies, contracts, and plans, with the goal of providing more transparent, consistent, and supportive healthcare coverage for transgender and gender-diverse individuals in Hawaii.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=710&year=2026