Health Care

Gov. Neil Abercrombie, one of the state’s most vocal advocates of Obamacare, predicted at a news conference Sept. 17 that the state’s 100,000 uninsured, plus thousands more, would sign up for insurance once the Health Connector launched Oct. 1....

In 2011, the Obama Administration suggested that as many as 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions were “at risk” and “could be denied coverage” without Obamacare....

• DATE: Monday, December 9, 2013
• TIME: 2:00 pm
• PLACE: Conference Room 329, State Capitol 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating  the Hawaii State Hospital, hospital administrators have confirmed....

...recommended legislation related to Hawai`i’s insurance exchange for the 2014 legislative session....

The plan on the table in Congress would raise the federal minimum wage above $10 an hour (which is higher than all existing state rates)....

• DATE: Monday, December 09, 2013
• TIME: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• PLACE: Conference Room 229, State Capitol

The President said yesterday that he’s “learned not to make wild promises” anymore....

...the AG told the league the health connector is not required to provide voter information on its website because it is an independent, nonprofit agency....

High HIV prevalence, lack of awareness of HIV-positive status, unprotected anal sex, and increased viral load among HIV-positive MSM not on antiretroviral treatment contribute substantially to new infections among this population....

HealthCare.gov can’t fix anything that’s wrong with Obamacare....

Because Hawaii legislators exempted the health law from many of the rules that hold other government ventures accountable, there remain more questions than answers about the debacle....

From 1621, when the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, to 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a federal holiday, thanking God and practicing religion were of paramount importance....

• DATE: Monday, December 02, 2013
• TIME: 2:00 pm
• PLACE: Conference Room 329 State Capitol

Obamacare goes against prioritizing help for the disabled over assistance for able-bodied adults....

...Meanwhile HMSA Announces ANOTHER 4.4% Rate Hike Thanks to Obamacare....

...a commissioner who insists on lower premiums will reduce the amount of care available to subsidized voters without saving them a dime...

Organizing for America (OFA), President Obama’s campaign group, has a big push called “Health Care for the Holidays” that urges people to “have the talk” with their loved ones about getting health insurance....

As of Nov. 15, just 257 individuals have secured health care through the exchange....

Hawaii ranks best in the nation according to The Commonwealth Fund....

...the law perpetuates some of the country’s worst trends that trap people in poverty....

...how is the new health care initiative going to affect businesses?

Hawai‘i Health Connector today announced the appointment of Tom Matsuda, current Affordable Care Act implementation manager with the Governor’s office, as interim executive director....

Assaults on workers at the Hawaii State Hospital are all too common, and taxpayers are picking up the tab for the cost of treatment and workers compensation....

Obamacare’s menu labeling regulation will be costly and time-consuming for businesses ....

Hospitals may have to invest between $2 million and $5 million, and large health care organizations could spend as much as $20 million....

If old plans are restored, "fewer healthy people and younger people would be leaving their current plans" ....

The law that promised health coverage for all has so far stripped 3.5 million Americans of their insurance....

Between 25,000 and 30,000 Hawaii residents with individual plans and 140,000 people covered by small business policies had been notified their medical plans will be canceled or altered on Jan. 1....

25,000-30,000 Hawaii residents’ medical plans are set to be canceled January 1st....

The state Department of Taxation paid CGI Group more than $87 million over 12 years....

"...members who don't choose a new ACA plan by Dec. 15 will be re-enrolled in their current plan in December for another year to ensure they don't lose...." -- Yadao

Once upon a time, Obamacare was “settled” law that was “here to stay”....

President Obama said Thursday he will let Americans renew for one year any health plans that do not meet Obamacare's coverage standards....

...Education works: Who needs a Beverage Tax?....

“The Tonight Show” is a cultural bellwether, so when its studio audience roars its approval at Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) quip that Obamacare is “the biggest job killer in this country,” you know something’s happening across our land....

• DATE: Thursday, November 14, 2013
• TIME: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
• PLACE: Conference Room 229 State Capitol 

One of the ways that the health reform is being funded is through cuts in disproportionate share funding for hospitals....

The interview contains a valuable introduction to what the Affordable Care Act is and clearly explains the “Hawaii Healthcare Connector,” which Lim initiated as its start-up executive director....

In more than half of the counties in the U.S., people have only one or two insurance carriers offering coverage on their exchanges....

By comparison, when Medicare Part D began, two-thirds of people who voluntarily enrolled in a plan did so after coverage began....

The Obama Administration has indicated it will propose a new regulation that could give many unions a break from one of Obamacare’s new fees....

It did not cover dependents in the manner set out by the law, and it did not cover pediatric dental....

“If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” -- NOT!

Buried in rules issued last week is the disclosure that the administration will propose exempting “certain self-insured, self-administered plans” from the law’s temporary reinsurance fee in 2015 and 2016....

The last update given to reporters was October 18 when the Hawaii Health Connector reported only 440 applications had been completed online....

In response to the wave of insurance cancellations hitting millions of Americans, and the admission by some on the left that President Obama’s “if you like your plan” promise was false, Obamacare’s defenders are now taking a different tack....