REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF MANDATING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR HEARING AIDS.

Senate Resolution 121 requests Hawaii's Auditor to assess the social and financial effects of mandating health insurance coverage for hearing aids as proposed in S.B. 1494 (2025), which would require insurers to cover hearing aids with a minimum benefit of $1,500 per hearing-impaired ear every 36 months. The Auditor must evaluate factors like the number of affected residents, current coverage standards, replacement frequency, and hearing aid technology, and report findings to the Legislature by early 2026. This assessment is required by Hawaii law before any such mandate can be enacted, following a previous study that was halted without legislative consensus. The resolution ensures the Auditor will not stop the study without a full legislative decision.