May 7, 2011 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Saturday, May 7, 2011

May 7, 2011 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:18 PM :: 13307 Views

Feds may prosecute State employees who carry out Medical Marijuana Program

Abercrombie Imposes Obamacare: Medical Homes are future of Health Care Delivery

Inouye Introduces Bills to Imprison Fishermen, seize boats

SB120: Legislators authorize raid of more than $17 million in special funds

Abercrombie: “Political Status quo strongly in place--We did not get all we wanted”

Abercrombie signs Foreclosure bill, Vetoes two others

HGEA Hiring Re-started: Bigger state budget restores some jobs

A little more than 40 state-funded positions are being restored.

14 in public safety - sheriffs primarily to staff the Kapolei courthouse
9 jobs to manage tax collections
9 more to have 24-7 coverage of the state's ICSD computer systems
7 in the state historic preservation division
A handful for homeless programs and clerical jobs in neighbor island agriculture

"This isn't increased spending. What it is is a re-investment if you will in the personnel that we need to provide the core services," said Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

This is a very small number of individuals, and these people are key to operating core services in government," said Rep. Marcus Oshiro (D), Finance chairman.

(Contrast Abercrombie’s lie to Oshiro’s. You can see that the sheer audacity of Abercrombie’s lying is what has propelled him to the top of the moldering heap in Hawaii politics. If Oshiro could be as audacious as Abercrombie, he too could become Governor.)

Yet the newly minted state budget adds about $600 million in additional taxes and fees above the anticipated growth of existing revenues -- in all the taxpayer tab is up about a billion dollars over two years.

"It's like, hey, we've paid all that to get what? and I think that's where we cry foul that we've "restored government" but in effect the services aren't there," said Rep. Gene Ward (R), House Minority leader.

($600M/40 = $15M/job)

Obamacare: Governor announces ‘medical home’ concept

Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced a new healthcare model for the state’s 270,000 Medicaid recipients that seeks to streamline services by providing care at central locations….

If the medical home concept sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Kaiser Permanente has been utilizing the model for decades, which depends on a database of electronic health records for individual patients.

In Hawaii, Kaiser operates a medical home facility in Hawaii Kai on Oahu and another in Wailuku, Mau. Both are certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a non-profit group that strives to improve healthcare delivery.

Other health organizations within the state have began using the concept more recently.

Hawaii Pacific Health, a non-profit medical system that operates four hospitals and 44 outpatient clinics, implemented the medical home model eighteen months ago.

“We've got terrific results showing improved outcomes for patients with diabetes, high blood pressure - any number of chronic diseases,” said Dr. Ginny Pressler, executive vice-president for HPH….

“For every dollar we spend in implementing the patient centered medical home, we will get $9 in federal matching and that's tremendous,” said Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz.

However the medical home model is not without controversy. Since primary physicians are rewarded for keeping healthcare costs down, critics say it creates a conflict of interest between a patient and his or her doctor.

SA: State's new Medicaid plan is aimed at improving care “One in 5 Hawaii residents is a Medicaid recipient, state officials said.”

State to cut funding for Ohana, Evercare

(After Abercrombie’s fancy talk about Medical Homes, here is a shot of cold, hard reality….)

Many primary care providers do not accept Ohana or Evercare patients for several reasons. These cases tend to be extremely complicated and labor intensive. The majority have multiple medical problems and historically have had poorly coordinated care often through no fault of their own. Many are victims of physical abuse and sexual abuse. Many have engaged in substance abuse, and a very large proportion suffer from associated mental illness. They have a high rate of obesity and diabetes, and cancers tend to be found late. Most have difficulty with transportation and cannot always make their scheduled appointments. Noncompliance with treatment plans is also a frequent problem.

In addition, the process to obtain approval for reasonable and necessary diagnostics is time-intensive and often ultimately unsuccessful. Even if approval is secured for needed specialty care, it can be difficult to find a suitable specialist willing to treat this population. In the end there is a tremendous burden upon primary care providers and their staff at every level. Many become overwhelmed by the challenge of serving this medically fragile population.

In addition to these challenges, providers are finding increasing problems getting paid at all. Colleagues say there is a consistent set of responses from payers, such as "systems problems," "still processing" and "making progress on your claim." However, none of those communications readily translates into reimbursement. For this reason, in addition to those already mentioned, some providers have no choice but to decline to offer further care under these payers. The system is bracing itself for another blow. It's possible the state will announce a further cut in funding next week….

WHT: Blum - A history of Big Island hospitals

How Legislators will get their pay raise after voting against it

Rodney Maile, the administrative director of the courts, said in an April 13 letter to the House Finance Committee that the bill contains “ambiguous language and possible constitutional infirmities.”

Among the legal concerns is whether the bill is a general law that applies the salary decrease to all salaried offices, as required by Article XVI, at Section 3.5.

Maile, in a follow up letter to the House on Wednesday, asked that lawmakers not adopt the bill.

Sunshine Topping, the director of the state Department of Human Resources Development, said in an April 14 letter to the House Finance Committee that a new salary commission will be appointed in 2012 and will make recommendations for a six-year period starting in July 2013 for the executive and judicial branches and January 2015 for the legislative branch.

Topping wrote that the bill could conflict with Article XVI, Section 3.5, because it does not address the impact of the pay cuts on salary commission recommendations for the executive and judicial branches between July 2013 and December 2013.

(Defect the bill, vote against it and let either Abercrombie’s veto pen or the courts do the dirty work of raising your pay while everybody else suffers.)

Ever optimistic, lawmakers hope for veto of pay-cut bill

Legislators ended their annual session by reluctantly continuing a 5 percent pay cut for themselves, state administrators and judges, with some lawmakers already urging Gov. Neil Abercrombie to veto the bill. If he does that, he'll have to change his mantra to "shared sacrifice — ROFL." (That's "roll on the floor laughing" if you no habla texting lingo.)

» In a funding compromise, the Legislature increased instructional time for only half of Hawaii's public elementary schools next year. The kids who spend more time in class will be trained to become doctors, scientists and engineers. The half who get less time will be groomed to become legislators.

» Senators gave final approval to a bill requiring that peacocks, rats, insects and other pests be killed humanely. It's one of the little professional courtesies lawmakers like to extend.

More public schools drop out of summer sessions

With fewer public schools offering traditional summer programs this year, some students might find themselves scrambling to get into classes.

Thirty-seven campuses, plus the Department of Education's e-school, will have traditional summer school this year, down from 45 in 2010.

Other campuses are expected to offer free programs exclusively for their students….

Susan Sato, department educational specialist for student activities, said there "may not be enough" seats this summer for all the students looking to take courses.

(The glorious New Day has arrived.)

Session Wrap: Hawaii Gets New Appointed Education Board, Not Much Else

This year, Hawaii lawmakers introduced a host of innovative education proposals. Farm to school lunches. A land trust to monetize unused school grounds. Dividing the Department of Education in half.

But in the end, they took the conservative route.

And while Gov. Neil Abercrombie got his appointed Board of Education, early childhood education initiatives and a Hawaiian language university fell by the wayside.

Some key money proposals fell flat, too:

A request for $12 million to help pay University of Hawaii faculty salaries
An attempt to extend the expiration date on an annual $4 million allocation to the medical school
A pair of bills that would given the Department of Education authority to develop hundreds of acres of unused public school lands for commercial purposes (e.g. Housing, stores, etc). This had the backing of new Board of Education Chairman Don Horner and would have created an additional revenue stream for the Department of Education.

Session Wrap: Energy Bills Pass, But Little Spark

The state needs decisive action on clean energy, then-candidate Neil Abercrombie said during last year's gubernatorial campaign. But lawmakers must not have heard him. The 2011 legislative session saw only incremental progress on major initiatives….

Of the measures that did make it to the governor's desk, some started out as bold initiatives but were reduced to mere studies. They might represent the first steps toward Hawaii's green energy future, but they're not giant leaps forward.

Other ambitious proposals — a mileage tax and direct distribution of renewable energy, to name two — fell flat and won't even be studied.

Undersea cable bill sunk by lawmakers

The measure would have made electricity customers pay the bill for the unknown cost of a cable connecting proposed wind turbine plants on Molokai and Lanai to the population center in Honolulu.

On the Net SB367: www.capitol.hawaii.gov

Legislature votes to force Ratepayers to bail out biofuel project

SB 1347, a bill requiring the PUC to accept electronic submissions, was amended in the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce to allow an electric company to aggregate its renewable portfolio and "distribute, apportion or allocate" the costs among the "electric company, its electric utility affiliates and their respective ratepayers, as is reasonable under the circumstances," according to the bill.

The surcharge is part of an agreement between HELCO and Aina Koa Pono, the company planning a plant that would microwave 900 tons of biomass daily, producing 24 million gallons of biodiesel and 8 million gallons of biogasoline per year. The facility also will generate electricity, primarily for its own use.

HELCO President Jay Ignacio emphasized the project isn't a done deal yet. The bill, should it be signed by the governor, simply gives the PUC the authority to spread the cost over multiple utilities; it doesn't require the PUC to do so.

"Ultimately, it will be up to the PUC," Ignacio said Friday.

The project suffered a setback in March when the PUC ruled HELCO couldn't spread the costs by raising rates $1.55 to $1.85 a month on customers of HELCO, Hawaiian Electric Co. and Maui Electric Co.

Rolling in Dough: Kauai FY12 supplemental budget $21 million higher

Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. released the supplemental budget for the county Fiscal Year 2012 on Friday, adding a $26.26 million reserve fund to the original March 15 budget submission.

“Establishing the reserve fund and policy is important from many standpoints,” Carvalho said in the Friday submittal, adding that the reserve fund will provide a buffer for natural and man-made disasters, create a basis for higher credit ratings and insure financial stability.

The original March 15 budget submittal proposed an operating budget of $164.98 million. On Friday Carvalho’s supplemental budget reduced operation costs by $3.3 million. But with the proposed reserve fund, the operating budget totals $185.97 million.

(They are laughing at you as they increase taxes.)

Yagong displeased with mayor's plan to delay retiree insurance premiums

Specifically, Yagong objects to the way Kenoi balanced the budget, which involves deferring a $20.1 million prepayment for providing health insurance to the county's future retirees….

Yagong said he'll soon introduce one calling for the county to put $10 million to $15 million toward the cost of insuring future retirees, while also directing Kenoi to identify where to make offsetting cuts.
"This way forces the administration to do what we feel should have been done in the first place," he added. "Giving this back to the mayor is essential because it's his administration and he needs to determine where these cuts are going to come from."
As the councilor with the most time in office, Yagong predicted his proposal won't please Kenoi.
"The mayor is going to cry bloody murder if we go this route," Yagong said. "I expect a tremendous ... defiance by the administration on this."

Hawaii Legislature passes bills to help Hilo lessees

HB 331, introduced by Rep Jerry Chang (Hilo-Waiakea-Kaumana-Keaukaha), will help stabilize and support Hilo’s economy during this recession and for the future by extending the leases for properties in the Hilo Industrial Area…. The lease term of 55 years expires in 2016 leaving just five more years before these existing businesses will need to find a new site. HB 331 bill extends their lease to 65 years, adding an additional 10 years.

SB 956, introduced by Senator Malama Solomon, also authorizes lease extensions of hotel resort areas subject to a development agreement upon the condition of substantial improvements made to the existing premises and shall be for a period of no longer than 65 years.

Hawaii to receive more than $47 million in Title I education money

Hawaii will receive more than $47 million in Title I education money in the coming school year to help pay for programs at schools where a disproportionate number of students live in some form of poverty.

Hawaii will receive $47,810,387 in Title I Education dollars for the 2011-2012 school year, an increase of $5,211,565 from the $42,598,822 received for the 2010-2011 school year.

In Hawaii more than 80,000 public school kids live at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The total number of Hawaii public schools eligible for Title I money has increased to 186 from 161 in 2008.

Title I money is given to schools where children living in households at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level exceed 40 percent of total enrollment.

In Hawaii, that means a family of four earning no more than $46,916.

Install Waikiki street cams

The city appears to be poised at last to install security cameras along Kuhio Avenue, with the looming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in November no doubt prodding officials along.

We would like to add a little extra push, if for no reason than to reduce the chance of APEC visitors watching Hawaii's famous aloha spirit being overwhelmed by more salacious attractions.

Critics say there is no statistical evidence that cameras lower the crime rate. Some cite a 2009 study by Northeastern and Cambridge universities showing little change in crime rates in, for example, town centers. They say it relocates crime rather than deterring it overall.

That might be so, but when the location is one of Waikiki's two major arteries, sweeping crime somewhat off that beaten track might not be a bad outcome.

Just in time for APEC, Environmentalists continue to allow Spread of Bedbugs throughout Hawaii

"I get three, four calls a day" about bedbugs, said Mark Redeker, president of Mid Pacific Pest Control in Kihei.

Zimmerman confirmed that bedbugs are a problem in Hawaii. "It's very widespread," she said. "I don't know if it's on all the islands, but it's certainly on Oahu, due to all the tourists and the college students moving in and out."

The treatment is not limited to residences, he said. It could be done at businesses or even vehicles, such as ambulances or taxis.

"Wherever the bugs hide, we'll chase them," Redeker said.

If you're traveling, there is an unofficial registry of bedbug infestations, based on user experiences, rather like GasBuddy.com that reports retail gasoline prices. It covers the United States and Canada but not Hawaii or Alaska.

It was founded by Maciej Ceglowski, a writer and computer programmer, who describes it "as a way of getting vengeance against bedbugs after a traumatic experience in a San Francisco hotel."

Find it online at bedbugregistry.com.

(DDT is the only effective means to remove bedbugs, prevent them from coming back, and eradicate them from Hawaii. Got Bedbugs? Thank an environmentalist.)

Four Castle students arrested on suspicion of burglaries

Sources say many of the burglaries happened during the after school hours, and that three of the teens were also arrested for having marijuana.

Sources say the suspects are student athletes, and they call themselves "Cash Crew."

The teens were released to their parents after being booked at the Kaneohe substation.

Castle's principal says -- because the alleged crimes happened off-campus, the school will not take any disciplinary action.

(No wonder the DoE has such disciplinary problems. We must give this majestic school system more money immediately.)

Clayton Hee kills effort to fix flawed DUI law

The law was supposed to allow first time offenders and repeat offenders to have ignition interlock installed in their vehicles. But the law is flawed as it pertains to repeat offenders.

Another provision of Hawaii law mandates anyone arrested for more than one DUI surrender their vehicle registration and license plates. Without registration and plates, people cannot drive nor can they have an ignition interlock installed.

As a result, repeat offenders - who may be habitual drunk drivers – cannot participate in the ignition interlock program.

"It's a safety situation. Without the interlock they could be possibly driving on the highway posing a threat to the public," McNamee said.

MADD pushed for the interlock law to be amended. Representative Sharon Har introduced a bill that would have fixed the flaw. But as that bill moved through the legislature it was amended. Senator Clayton Hee, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee did not like the changes so he refused to hear the bill in committee, and that is where it died.

Kakaako homeless man is the King of Clean

49 year old King officially launched "King Shine Carwash and Wax" two months ago - around the same time authorities ordered him and other homeless to abandon Kakaako's tent city. King got permission to wash cars in a nearby parking lot at Exotic Nights adult club – since, obviously, not much goes on there by day.

"I'm trying NOT to be homeless. That's why I started this business. I'm trying to be successful, and I'm trying to make this business happen so that I can get a home," says King.

His company is legit. With help from friends in the community, he obtained the proper business licenses and advertises on Craig's List. 20 bucks gets you a clean car, then King gives his homeless assistants a 30 percent cut.

I asked one of his assistants, Ron Cullen, "Do you want to work?" Cullen replied, "Oh yeah. That's all I want to do right now. That's going to change everything."

On an average, sunny day, the crew washes about 10 vehicles - mostly from repeat customers. The proceeds have allowed King to rent a large storage unit - which he uses as an office. But, after paying for that storage, plus supplies and a phone, he still doesn't make enough for rent….

HMA teams up with mainland company

HMA has six clients with more than 80,000 members. They include the AFL Hotel & Restaurant Workers Health & Welfare Trust Fund, Hawaii Teamsters Health & Welfare Trust, UFCW Hawaii Food Employers Health & Welfare Trust Fund, ILWU Local 142 Health & Welfare Trust, Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund and Times Supermarkets.

Among The Truthers

The most disheartening aspect of the 2012 election cycle (so far) has been Donald Trump's effort to press the "birther" argument, claiming that President Barack Obama may not have been born in Hawaii in 1961 but somewhere else—Kenya, perhaps….Liberals should avoid crowing too loudly, though, since they have their own share of nutters. In 2007, pollster John Zogby asked Democratic voters about the terrorist attacks of 9/11; 42% of respondents said that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney either allowed the attacks to happen or deliberately caused the attacks to happen, presumably for political gain or to reap a financial windfall by waging a war for oil in the Middle East.

To Jonathan Kay, Birthers and Truthers are flipsides of the same coin. "Like an earthquake, 9/11 produced a great fissure through the heart of America's political center," he writes in "Among the Truthers." "It is not just politics that separates these two camps, but the very manner by which they answer fundamental questions about the world."

A Canadian who is an editor and columnist at the National Post, Mr. Kay decided to criss-cross America and meet Truthers of all stripes. He visits the fire-breathing libertarian talk show host Alex Jones, best known today as the man who taught Charlie Sheen to be wary of "Vatican assassins." He chats with "investigative journalist" Michael Ruppert, the man who claimed, in the early 1990s, that the CIA was selling crack in the inner cities to fund wars in Central America. Mr. Kay meets crunchier types too, like Ken Jenkins, a video editor who, with his psychedelic posters and lava lamps, "embodies the sixties soul of the 9/11 Truth Movement's older members." And Mr. Kay patiently listens to Richard Gage, a San Francisco-based architect who claims that explosives brought down the World Trade Center.