Thursday, November 21, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, March 6, 2014
Hawaii Obamacare Medicaid Applications–Even Less Than The Few
By Andrew Walden @ 2:43 AM :: 3884 Views :: Health Care

by Andrew Walden

With the March 31 deadline for Obamacare 2014 open enrollment fast approaching, business at the troubled Hawaii Health Connector is lagging. 

A March 1 Connector update shows 20,018 have applied for insurance via the Connector, 4,661 individuals have enrolled and 467 employers have applied.  These numbers are little changed from the Connector’s previous weekly update.  In the week between February 22 and March 1, 393 applications were received, 194 individuals enrolled, and only 11 businesses applied.

The five month total gap between applied and enrolled--15,357--is believed to consist largely of Medicaid applicants whose paperwork is slowly grinding its way through the Hawaii Department of Human Services bureaucracy.   This averages 3,071 Medicaid applications per month. 

Federal ACA stats show that 5,690 people applied for Medicaid in Hawaii in the three months before the October 1 launch of the Hawaii Health Connector—an average of 1,897 per month.  The post-Obamacare increase averages out to an additional 1,174 persons applying for Medicaid each month since October 1.  If this holds, by March 31, just 7,044 additional persons in Hawaii will have applied for Medicaid under the ACA.  (Note: These figures are for applications, not eligibility determinations.)  Hawaii Medicaid eligibility was increased from 133% of poverty to 138% effective October 1. 

A 2003 report for the US Department of Health and Human Services shows that Medicaid programs run about 20% annual turnover. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that Hawaii in 2010 had 265,588 persons enrolled in Medicaid.  A factor of 20% yields approximately 53,000 annual turnover or 4,400 monthly turnover.

In the unlikely scenario that 100% of the 7,044 new Medicaid applicants are deemed eligible and then enroll, that would total about a month and a half of Hawaii Medicaid population turnover.

The Health Connector cost $205M to construct.  An Honolulu Star-Advertiser March 2 editorial pointed out that “elaborate online exchanges haven't worked in many places — like Hawaii — and ultimately may not be needed at all.”

---30---

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii