No Hawaii town halls planned in August for health care reform
A Web search shows Hawai'i is the only state that hasn't had the public town hall forums this month.
Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono, both D-Hawai'i, each held two town hall sessions earlier this summer.
In Hawai'i, 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.
RELATED: Congressional townhall meetings go wild (Coming to Hawaii next week?) (these are Abercrombie campaign meetings)
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Obamacare preview: New drug plan could adapt to meet needs
Trying to keep the status quo in government services in an environment of rising costs and declining revenues may indeed prove to be a "Mission: Impossible" scenario.
The maintenance of pharmacy services to the state's public workers — a tough task at a time when demands on the health care system are accelerating — falls into that "do more with less" category.
(Advertiser heartily endorses the EUTF controls over the doctor-patient relationship.)
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AARP lies: Don't let myths stop health reform
As your (SBs) recent editorial ("End Medicare Myths," Aug. 12) makes clear, fixing what's wrong with health care is far too important to be derailed by scare tactics perpetuated by special interest groups who will benefit from the status quo.
The SB editorial's lies were debunked here: MDs pay to be cut: Star-Bulletin attacks Lingle, spreads Obamacare myths , and here
Fukino nails SB: ObamaCare pay cuts for MDs, $563B Medicare cuts
As the senior public health official in the state of Hawaii, I must take exception to your editorial last week about budget cuts in Medicare ("End Medicare Myths," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 12). You incorrectly accused Gov. Linda Lingle of making "unfounded allegations."
The governor pointed out that the plans pending in Washington, D.C., would result in "hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to spending on Medicare." Your own editorial reaffirms this by stating that the bills pending in Congress would "trim Medicare's anticipated growth over the next ten years by $563 billion."
Your editorial said that federal health care legislation will "affect providers, not beneficiaries." Reducing payments to providers can have a substantial effect on beneficiaries, especially when insufficient revenues result in the closing or out-of-state relocation of a medical practice.
In spite of the lecture from the State's top doctor, the SB is happy to publish more of the same lies from AARP including this:
What about the claim that health reform will mean cuts to Medicare? Not true. None of the major health care reform plans currently being considered would cut Medicare benefits....
...and plenty more of the AARP lies. Obviously the liberals created AARP for precisely this moment. It isn't working but they will continue drive it against its own membership at the risk of destroying the organization.
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HMSA: Backing empowerment, improvement
Our community and our nation need concerned citizens to help shape health care reform. There is much we can do to learn about the reform proposals, speak with our elected leaders, and work together to improve our system.
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HMSA sees $16.8M loss in 2nd quarter
The Hawaii Medical Service Association is reporting its ninth quarterly loss in the past two and a half years as it continues to struggle with its financial health.
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