Matson Admits Rate Hikes are to Pay for Overpriced Jones Act Ships
Obamacare Gives Insurance Commissioner Powerful Incentive to Raise Rates
Health Connector: 'Matsuda Doesn't Have the Solution'
PBN: What that next phase looks like is a focus on outreach; according to the the current enrollment data released Nov. 15, only 257 individuals have signed up for health plans using the state’s online health-insurance exchange.
“It’s all about increasing enrollment for people who need insurance, and there are many different pieces to that, but that is the overall goal,” said Matsuda, state implementation manager of the Affordable Care Act.
How does he plan to do that once he starts in two weeks? He doesn’t have the solution, and he noted that it will be a collaborative effort.
“I haven’t started yet; the first thing I’m going to do is find out what is being done,” he said. “But it is really clear that we need to reach out to the population that does not have insurance and to connect with them directly to make sure they understand.”
At a recent health-care summit organized by the Hawaii Healthcare Project, Matsuda and Andrews both urged an audience of 550 health care professionals to take an active role in educating the community about the Hawaii Health Connector, noting that the uninsured population is not necessarily logging onto the website, making face-to-face communication a key strategy. (For instance, if each of them signs up just one person for Obamacare, they would triple enrollment.)
read ... Website Busted
Policies to be canceled due to Obamacare will continue at a higher price
SA: The Hawaii Medical Service Association plans to raise rates by an average 7.5 percent for 14,300 individuals who were earlier notified their policies would be canceled at year's end because they did not meet the minimum requirements of the federal Affordable Care Act.
President Barack Obama reversed his position Nov. 14, allowing individuals to keep health insurance policies for at least one more year even if they did not meet the minimum coverage standards set by the new law.
HMSA will allow the 14,300 individuals with plans ticketed for cancellation to keep their policies, but at a higher price.
The state's dominant health insurer filed the rate increase request Friday with the state Insurance Division, the approval of which is required before the price hike can take effect. HMSA attributed most — 4.4 percentage points out of 7.5 — of the increase to Obamacare fees and taxes and the rest to an anticipated rise in medical costs....
"It's not a good sign that everybody's insurance is increasing under this law," said Nuuanu resident Abe Rodriguez, owner of Nueve Salon & Spa in Kakaako, who pays $159 a month for HMSA individual plans for his two young children, in addition to $300 a month for medications that aren't covered by the policy. "It is an expensive law. I haven't heard of anybody's insurance going down under Obamacare."...
Meanwhile, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, the state's largest health maintenance organization, also has decided to extend existing policies through 2014, said spokeswoman Laura Lott.
"We are going to let people extend, but we are still dealing with all the system changes that need to happen," she said, adding that the HMO hasn't yet filed new rates.
read ... Policies to be canceled due to Obamacare will continue at a higher price
Star-Adv: Legislature Must Overhaul Health Connector
SA: ...most important among the failings was that many of the key discussions in the formative stages were made out of the public eye, which meant the taxpayer had no warning about the dysfunction.
The bottom line is that the state must see health-care reform implemented effectively, and its elected leaders have a key role in seeing that this happens. In the run-up to the coming legislative session, lawmakers have to seek ways to restructure the organization to make it much more accountable for the millions of federal dollars invested in its establishment.
The latest blow to the embattled private nonprofit was last week's announcement that Coral Andrews was stepping down as executive director after Dec. 6. It is the worst timing possible for such a transition, given that enrollment is due Dec. 15 for coverage starting Jan. 1.
...the Connector clearly cannot be allowed to continue without revisions to its current form. Judging by the lack of public disclosure about all the problems in the weeks leading up to the launch, transparency must be improved.
Act 205 created the Connector as a private nonprofit in 2011; it was passed to ensure that Hawaii had its own insurance exchange rather than rely on the federal marketplace — which has famously suffered from its own set of flaws. The reason: Hawaii wanted to ensure that its own Prepaid Health Care Act, which remains in effect even with the ACA, was upheld in the health plans that would be offered.
It was the correct decision for the state to have its own marketplace, but two implementation failings must be corrected. One, the Connector should be fully subject to the state Sunshine Law. It might be a private nonprofit, but so far it's operating with public funds, and with no clear financial plan for a self-sufficient future. So the public has a right to know how business is being conducted.
Two, the Legislature should reconsider its decision to allow insurance carrier representatives to be voting board members.
read ... Bye Bye Insurance Reps
LWV Wants to Health Exchange to Register Voters
CB: The Hawaii League of Women Voters wants the state’s new health insurance website to include links and information that encourages residents to register to vote. (An Obamabot Army of 257 People!)
“The League of Women Voters refuses to remain silent on this serious problem,” Piilani Kaopuiki, the state league president, said in a statement Monday. “In Hawaii the League has worked for more than 50 years to encourage voting. It is our core mission, and we urge immediate action to protect voting rights and democracy in Hawaii.”
The league believes the Hawaii Health Connector, a nonprofit the state hired to set up and run the new insurance exchange program mandated by the Affordable Care Act, is subject to the National Voter Registration Act and required to provide voter access.
The Hawaii Attorney General disagrees, according to the league, because the Health Connector is a nonprofit.
Better Idea: Lets require HMSA and Kaiser send voter registration forms to the 170,000 people in Hawaii whose policies have been cancelled.
read ... Should Hawaii Health Insurance Website Allow Voter Registration Too?
Kahuku Tired of Being 'Dumping Ground' for Wind Turbines
CB: A company that previously lost a bid to build a North Shore wind farm is finally moving forward on an energy project after years of trying to convince Hawaiian Electric Co. to buy its power.
Champlin-GEI Wind Holding’s wind farm, named Na Pua Makani, could add 15 additional turbines to those already installed around Kahuku.
But since Champlin, based in Santa Barbara, Calif., lost its original 2008 bid, 42 towering wind turbines have been erected in an area of Oahu famous for big waves and rural lifestyles. Turbines from the new project, along with the existing wind farm, would hem the small town of Kahuku in on three sides.
Some residents say they’ve had enough. “Our view is: Kahuku has done its share to provide additional power for the rest of the island and it’s time for another community to step forward,” said Kent Fonoimoana, a board member of the Koolau Loa Neighborhood Board and a leader of the Defend Oahu Coalition. “We don’t want Kahuku to become the dumping ground for these industrial-sized (turbines).”
Boston-based First Wind built a 12-turbine wind farm in Kahuku in 2011 and the developer erected another 30 turbines a mile mauka of Kamehameha Highway, known as the Kawailoa wind farm, in 2012.
North Shore neighborhood boards originally supported the wind farms, which initially elicited little protest. But since they were built, some residents have grown weary of wind energy, especially the three turbines that First Wind placed in Waimea Valley.
“It was just thoughtless,” said Bill Quinlan, a North Shore Neighborhood Board member, who said the turbines desecrated a culturally significant site. “We definitely don’t want any more wind farms."
A major fire at First Wind’s Kahuku site last year that destroyed its battery storage facility and sent toxic fumes spewing into the air has also tempered local support for wind energy....
But there is support for the project on the North Shore, which is home to many environmentally conscious residents.
Stuart Coleman, Hawaii coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation, (bought and paid for by Big Wind) a local conservation organization, said he supported the wind farm. So did Kevin Kelly, a member of the Defend Oahu Coalition, who suggested that the organization might be split on the issue.
Related: Lloyds of London Lawsuit Reveals Story Behind Kahuku Windfarm Fires
read ... Blown Out: Too Many Wind Farms On Oahu's North Shore?
Water Board Gives $3.5M Contract to Company tied to Wife of Top Exec
HNN: If you think your water bill is soaring, take a look at what the Honolulu Board of Water Supply had to pay a consultant for its customer billing system.
Hawaii News Now has learned that the board is paying contractor EMA Inc. of Minnesota nearly $3.5 million, even though the company was initially hired in 2008 for about $800,000.
The reason: unexpected contract amendments, or change orders....
Hawaii News Now has also learned that the board's former chief information officer Brian McKee signed off on some of the change orders, even though his wife once worked with EMA.
On Friday, Hawaii News Now reported that the city Ethics Commission was investigating alleged improper BWS contracts issued to a company headed by McKee.
read ... Board of Water Supply contract controversy
UH puts Kobayashi building projects on ice, Shifts Money to Mitsunaga
SA: New building projects will be halted across the University of Hawaii system for three years under a moratorium the Board of Regents is imposing to redirect resources toward a repair and maintenance backlog that has swelled to nearly a half-billion dollars.
The construction freeze, approved unanimously at a regents meeting held last week on Maui, takes effect immediately. But it comes with several exemption criteria that regents want to apply to 13 planned projects statewide.
The plan was proposed by regent Benjamin Kudo, who said the university's repair backlog "is exacerbated when (capital improvement) resource priorities overly emphasize new building projects."
The move could mean that some of the $200 million the university typically requests for new construction annually would be diverted to address long-standing repairs. It also could mean less work for the building industry as construction priorities shift to maintenance projects.
read ... Obeying Orders from Abercrombie's Owner
Act 221 Scammers Want More Money from Taxpayers
Jay Fidell: On Dec. 4 the VC Summit and Startup Paradise Demo Day at the Sheraton Waikiki hopes to spark new interest in startups.
There are two organizers. One of them, Blue Startups, created by Tetris developer Henk Rogers, is a private accelerator that selects cohorts from a wider variety of applicants.
The other, the Energy Excelerator, has received $30 million from the Department of Energy to help energy startups.... At the turn of the millennium, there was excitement about tech in Hawaii. The legislators who adopted Act 221 were proud of it. But when Linda Lingle came in as governor, she started working against it. (Thank You Linda Lingle!)
Capital is critical for tech, but our two largest trusts have never invested in it. A workforce is also critical, but much of the 221-era workforce has gone or gone into real estate. (Because Kakaako is the big scam these days and scammers don't discriminate.)
For a rematch, let's treat tech entrepreneurs like heroes. Pay them well and cheer them on. Win or lose, keep them happy and keep them here. Of course, there are glimmers beyond the summit. For example, the Legislature did set aside $2 million for tech this year....
Background: Audit: State Gave Away $1B Act 221 Tax Credits Without Verification of Eligibility, PRP: Fukunaga Running to Continue Act 221 Tax Credit Scams
read ... Be Sure to read the comments
Hawaii Loses Money as International Student Population Shrinks
CB: Hawaii is going against a national trend when it comes to how many international students roam its campuses, and it's costing the state money.
While the foreign student population went up 45 percent around the country during the last five years, Hawaii saw its international student body shrink by 26 percent, according to a recent report from the City and County of Honolulu.
As a result, the state lost out on $302 million in potential revenue that would normally be generated through tuition and living expenses.
read ... Lost Opportunity
Video: Waikiki 'Hate Crime' Victim Debunked
KHON: There's always two sides to every story.
A man says he was jumped by seven guys while walking down the street in Waikiki. He says they not only beat him up, but also stole his money.
But the suspects say that's not what happened.
Video was given to KHON2 by one of the suspects.
They say it was a one-on-one fight and that they weren't there to rob him.
"He got a beating a good old fashioned lickins, one-on-one fight. That's all I can say," suspect Keano Feliciano said.
"We want to let everyone know that everybody from Kaaawa that was involved in it, we come from good families, wasn't raised that way, you know, beat up on one person to take his money," stated Feliciano.
"I just never would have thought something like this would happen in Waikiki. I've been here for three years and most of my time has been in Waikiki," Dady said.
"And there's no way he can say it's hatred because my friend who was fighting with him is white, has no Hawaiian in him," Feliciano said.
read ... Ooops....
Colleges in Chicago, Hawaii ready proposals for Obama's presidential library
NYDN: The University of Chicago, University of Hawaii, University of Illinois at Chicago and Chicago State University are all said to have proposals in the works and are expected to make pitches in an effort to get the 44th commander in chief's presidential library on their campuses after the end of his second term.
If Obama picks Kakaako, he will be staking his Presidential legacy on the idea that the sea levels are not rising..
Read ... Chicago
Prison Food: AIDS, Hepatitis, Give Way to Diabetes & Hypertension
CB: The Public Safety Department started serving so called “Heart Healthy” meals to Hawaii inmates last year. Prisons director Ted Sakai says the new diet was adopted to address soaring medical costs in the prisons. And also, because it is the duty of prison managers to keep inmates in good health.
Sakai says “the main health problem in Hawaii prisons used to be AIDS and hepatitis. AIDS and hepatitis are still problems, but in recent years the chief medical officer is seeing more and more diabetes, hypertension and serious heart disease. One way to address this is to change the prisoners’ diet.”
read ... AIDS
Gay Activists Plan Political Demonstration Wedding at Sheraton
HNN: Wedding plans are in high gear and a major hotel is joining the partnership as well.
From the moment the marriage equality bill passed same sex couples have been planning ceremonies for midnight December 2nd the first day possible.
"The great thing about our couples is they understand they are not going to get their perfect wedding, but they are going to get something we think is even better because it's a community event," said Michael Golojuch, Jr., marriage equality supporter.
The Sheraton Waikiki will donate its Leahi Club, its premiere room for couples to marry. They'll have computers so couples can apply for their marriage license and agents there for verification.
"This is a great opportunity for us to make an impact with the gay and lesbian community and just say welcome," said Kelly Sanders, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Area Managing Director Waikiki. "I think it's going to be a historic thing and something that you'll look back on and say hey I was there when."
KITV: Marriage license offices prepare for same-sex marriage
read ... Political
High Risk Offender Gets One Year for Homosexual Child Molestation
KGI: A Hanapepe man was sentenced on Monday in 5th Circuit Court to just shy of one year in jail and given a five year special probation for high risk offenders for sexually assaulting a minor.
Joel Acoba Jose, 39, was sentenced for inappropriate touching and must complete the 5th Circuit “Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement” program, or HOPE Probation....
“I am honoring the plea agreement but I have concerns and I have obligations to do what is right for the community,” said Judge Kathleen Watanabe.
Jose entered a plea on Aug. 12, in a deal that dismissed one of the charges, whereby the state recommended probation with 364 days in jail.
Jose originally faced charges on two cases involving touching incidents with a pair of boys, aged 7 and 8, at a “morning club” before-school program in September 2011.
read ... They Like 'em Young
Jean King was Hawaii's liberal maverick to the end
Borreca: Although her campaign to unseat then-Gov. George Ariyoshi failed, King helped carry on the liberal, environmentally aware wing of the Democratic Party.
As much as Ariyoshi was about consensus, King was about leading a progressive platform for change.
When Ariyoshi went across the state Capitol to sign his papers to run for reelection, King, as lieutenant governor was the election official who took his paperwork. With the entire Capitol press corps watching, King then got up to shake his hand, grasped it firmly, and said, "I would like to formally ask you for a debate."....
What she did, said Nekoba, was to continue and then raise the debate on planning for Hawaii that started with the late Tom Gill....
She launched the political careers of both Freedman and Nekoba, who have served as assistants to Govs. John Waihee, Ben Cayetano and Neil Abercrombie....
SA: "She was the ultimate liberal," recounted former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano... "There were no scandals or anything tied to her."
read ... Jean King
GMO OMG: Another Debunked 'Documentary' Deployed in Hawaii
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