Health Care

Starting this year, ObamaCare's "annual fee" tax will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums....

...up until Thursday, the subsidies were only available to consumers who purchased health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's exchanges....

With anemic enrollment by individuals and little interest among small-business employers, the state’s nonprofit exchange -- known as the Hawaii Health Connector -- is unlikely to have enough money to pay its bills....

...Continuing the Connector as a state-based marketplace (SBM) is necessary in order to preserve the Prepaid Healthcare Act....

"Aloha!" highlights the ways in which Obamacare is harming American families....

Hawaii Health Connector had refused even to allow the state auditor to conduct a review required under state law....

If President Obama—or anyone else—is expecting that Medicaid will be Obamacare’s salvation, look elsewhere....

An increasing number of doctors are moving to salaried hospital jobs, says the New York Times....

Hawaii’s children may be adored by their parents, but all Hawaii government sees is their “body fat”....

Modeled after the Maile Amber Alert, the Silver Alert uses the same voluntary partnership between local broadcasters, civil defense, police departments, and other state agencies....

...A (mainland) legislator considering an assisted suicide law asked me this question:  "Is there a way to allow a person to end his life without making someone else a criminal?"....

Shhh…keep quiet, or you’ll wake Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius....

Just 3,614 people enrolled in the state’s exchange, but the report does not disclose how many of those who registered also paid for their health care policies....

This ranking is based on the lowest cost of a “silver” plan.... 

The Obama administration gave Hawaii $205 million in grants over the past three years to set up its state-run exchange....

President Obama tells us that "health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years."....

Policymakers should adopt privacy measures to protect patients from potential problems with electronic health records....

Hurting workers doesn’t play well in an election year.....

...examining allegations of administrative abuses and an ongoing failure to provide a safe work environment at the Hawaii State Hospital....

It doesn’t take long to figure out that people haven’t learned a blessed thing from flushing $20 billion down the toilet....

...replacements, renovations and upgrades to our aging infrastructure at several state hospital facilities....

"Last month, the Republican National Committee filed public-records requests in Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Oregon seeking information about compensation and vacation time for the exchange directors, four of whom have resigned."

Several House Democrats want the state to take over the Hawaii Health Connector, set up last year as a private, nonprofit....

...the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a new estimate: Obamacare will cause the equivalent of 2.3 million people to stop working.....

The federal government will reimburse insurers for 50 percent of any losses through the "risk corridors" in the Affordable Care Act....

New advertisements, online tools and events have been designed to encourage uninsured residents to set appointments....

...McDermott, who enrolled his eight children in Hawaii’s public schools, doesn’t want his 11-year-old son exposed to a controversial taxpayer-funded sex education program....

The law imposes new costs and mandates on employer sponsors of health and welfare trust funds, but leaves irresponsible companies free of any obligation to contribute towards their employees' health insurance....

Board of Education (BOE) Hearing Tuesday, Feb 4th, 2014, 1:30 PM....

Attorney General David M. Louie joined 46 fellow state and territorial attorneys general in signing a letter sent to the U.S. Trade Representative....

NOTE: Hawaii HB1789 is a Therapy Ban modeled on the laws discussed in this article....

...the suspect's mother describes the revolving door of mental health facilities and half-way houses through which her son has passed in the last year....

...a package of bills intended to help the Hawaii Health Connector improve transparency and reliability and ensure the agencies financial stability....

CMS plans to save $144 million a year with these measures between 2015 and 2019....

Annual Economic Cost Due to Motor Vehicle Crashes in Hawaii: $655 Million....

Beginning in fiscal year 2015, the distribution of tobacco settlement funds for tobacco prevention and control will return to 6.5 percent after being redirected into the general fund to offset budget deficits for the past several years....

...even Americans who oppose abortion may be forced to support it—through Obamacare....

The Kuakini project is part of Metrus' $75 million commitment to the White House's Better Buildings Challenge....

Pono Choices offers little to no information on sexual harassment, Sexually Transmitted Infections, their symptoms and consequences or single parenthood....

...we have a handful of states that can only be described as the laughing stocks of Obamacare....

Recipients are automatically renewed for another year if they don't respond to the annual query....

AARP Hawaii will ask lawmakers to support a bill requiring hospitals to formally acknowledge a patient’s family caregiver at the time of admission ....

You can use Hospital Compare to find hospitals and compare the quality of their care....

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) paid $33.2 billion as a result of fraud or mistake....

Thirty-six states (including Hawaii) require that health care providers seeking to offer or expand their services obtain what are known as Certificates of Need (CON)....

“Hawaii’s gaps in hospital and treatment facility capacity lead to overcrowding, long wait times and an inability to respond to disasters,” said Dr. Ishida....

Approximately 300,000 beneficiaries are currently receiving services through the QUEST Integration program. ‘Ohana is one of five health plans selected to receive an award....