What You Need to Know
- The Hawaii insurance commissioner sent his memo to HMOs and mutual benefit societies as well as to health insurance companies.
- He says descriptions of benefits related to gender identity should descriptions of benefits related to gender transition.
- The new benefits descriptions are supposed to go up before 2022 plans come to life.
Insurance regulators in Hawaii want to help people in the state compare health plans’ gender transition benefits.
The effort may mean that agents, brokers and other benefits advisors in Hawaii — and in any states that follow Hawaii’s lead — will have one more coverage detail to explain to clients.
The Memo
Colin Hayashida, Hawaii’s insurance commissioner, put the state’s gender transition benefits disclosure guidelines in a new memo.
Hayashida asked health coverage providers to post clear and complete gender identity benefits summaries on their websites.
The updates should include descriptions of any coverage for services related to gender transition, Hayashida wrote.
Hayashida addressed the memo to health maintenance organizations, and to any mutual benefit societies that provide health coverage, as well as to health insurance companies.