Health Care

Under HB 2085 HD1 SD2, the Lingle-Aiona Administration, through the State Department of Human Services (DHS), would be prohibited from soliciting proposals for new QUEST contracts exceeding $100 million.  These contracts could only be put out to bid by the new DHS administration, which will not be in place until December 2010 at the earliest.

(In other words, the Leg wants to make sure the contracting process generates campaign contributions for them.)

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is headed into a meeting with President Obama this afternoon after the White House and Congressional leaders have begun to discuss a higher-than-expected excise tax on some health care plans, in order to maintain their claim that health care legislation will reduce the deficit, a source involved in health care talks said.  (Those are UNION-negotiated health plans.)

Any unexpected change to the health care plan could endanger support for the bill from labor, which agreed to back it after reductions to the planned excise tax.

Hawaii can’t figure out how to kick drug addicted homeless people out of the parks and sidewalks in order to force them into shelters where they can get help, but apparently induced sterilization is now an option.  Today’s SB Editorial, “Voluntary (sic) sterilization can serve good purpose”, reveals that an eugenics group has been quietly working in Honolulu.... 

Malulani Foundation offers solutions to the very serious problems faced by HHSC and MMMC. Our community can start fresh, with a new hospital and a new vision for healthcare on Maui.

Dr. Ron Kwon started the process for the original Malulani Group to bring a new hospital to Maui and was not successful. Dr. Kwon was very disappointed, left the island and is now affiliated with a major hospital in Boston.

The goal of Malulani Foundation is to bring a private, full service, state of art, 450 bed teaching hospital to Maui which will provide further needed diversity for economy to Maui and a source of jobs for our Maui people.

Stroudwater didn't pull punches:  "HHSC is in a financially perilous condition. It received a 'Going Concern' finding as part of its 2008 independent audit report, calling the future financial viability of the organization into question. Its liquidity is at dangerously low levels with barely enough current assets to meet current liabilities. It is far behind in its payments to vendors (80+ days). The age of its facilities and other physical assets are well above national averages. Its future viability is at risk, particularly if the State is unable to provide increasing levels of operating subsidies for HHSC going forward."

Photos from rallies in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Lahaina, Kahului, Lihue . . . . 

A Web search shows Hawai'i is the only state that hasn't had the public town hall forums this month.... there have been none of the outbursts because there have been no town hall meetings in recent weeks as the health reform issue heated up.

... if you want to know how state enterprises really feel about competition, take a look at Obama’s home state of Hawaii ....

Originally published July, 2007, this article outlines the effect of government-controlled health care on Hawaii.  Since Hawaii's system has been pointed to as a model for socialized health care, other Americans may be interested to learn the fate which awaits them.

In the wake of a heated fight over construction of a privately funded hospital on Maui, the Hawaii Health Services Corporation (HHSC) is moving to improve its facilities by agreeing to provide Hawaii patients with equipment available in some African hospitals....

Kauai residents, including minors, have been required to leave the island for inpatient drug rehabilitation services ever since Serenity House was destroyed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. After 14 years of waiting, Kauai Mayor Brian Baptiste broke ground on a new inpatient treatment facility at Hanapepe near the Salt Ponds in August 2006.

But now, thanks to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), construction has been halted and the location may be abandoned.