HI SCR191

Urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to amend federal policies requiring a 30-day waiting period between consent and postpartum sterilization for Medicaid recipients.

Identifies a two-tiered system where privately insured individuals are not subject to the 30-day waiting period, while Medicaid enrollees face this barrier to reproductive autonomy.

Notes that a prospective study found 56 percent of immediate postpartum sterilization requests from Medicaid recipients went unfulfilled, with over two-thirds of denials citing Medicaid consent form issues.

Highlights that nearly half of individuals with unfulfilled sterilization requests became pregnant within one year, resulting in substantial emotional, physical, and financial costs to families and the healthcare system.

Directs certified copies of the resolution be transmitted to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, and Hawaii's Department of Human Services leadership.