Healthcare Reform: The Time For Action Is Now
Health care is a critical issue on our nation’s agenda and Hawai‘i is poised to be a leader in providing sound solutions.

A recent New York Times article touted Hawai‘i’s healthcare system as a “lesson for lawmakers.” Workers in our state, who work more than 20 hours a week, have enjoyed health care benefits since 1974. A rarity in other states in the union, Congress is looking for ways to incorporate similar initiatives in the new national plans.

Compared to many parts of the country, Hawai‘i has a comfortable climate that promotes healthy living. We have the ability to eat nutritious produce that is grown locally and enjoy the health benefits of fresh-caught seafood. For many, the outdoors is our playground.

Our people enjoy the ocean, hiking on mountain trails and increasingly are taking up cycling and walking as our infrastructure for these activities improves and becomes more accessible. For these reasons and others, Hawai‘i’s Medicare costs are far below the national average. Culturally, our guiding principles reiterate shared responsibility. In the spirit of ohana, legislators, providers and citizens know of the need to work together to provide care for all.

Yet today, nearly 125,000 people in our islands are without health insurance. Amid the economic downturn, newly unemployed workers are watching their benefits dissolve. Employers are also struggling to afford the ever-rising cost of insurance while revenue declines. In recent years, an increasing number of part-time (less than 19 hours per week) employees have been utilized by businesses around our state to keep costs down and avoid health care insurance requirements.

With prices of medication rising faster than inflation, the incomes of seniors, the chronically ill, and the working poor, are suffering. Many of Hawai‘i's people face tough choices about their health, and may go without medication in order to pay for other basic needs. Additionally, our small hospitals on Kaua‘i and throughout the neighbor islands, are facing shrinking budgets and increasing deficits.

I have dealt with this first-hand. My wife’s parents who reside with us in Wailua Homesteads are a living testament to the benefit of our country’s existing “public option.” While not without its shortcomings, if not for Medicare there is no doubt that the challenges of growing old would have bankrupted our family years ago. I know the struggles personally of providing our increasingly ageing population with adequate care within the constraints of a working family’s limited budget.

All Americans have a right to expect affordable, quality healthcare. 
I am in support of a single-payer universal coverage system where no one is denied health care due to lack of income. Legislative action must prevent any cuts or changes that reduce the existing benefits of Medicare/Medicaid and must support efforts to increase reimbursements to health care providers. The health care insurance and pharmaceutical industries have profited from the sick and injured long enough. It is time again to put the customer first and ensure that everyone is provided affordable quality care.

Several initiatives intended to reform and improve our health care system are currently being debated at the federal level in Congress. I am hopeful that our federal leaders will pass a law that gradually expands Medicare and/or Medicaid benefits to more Americans. In addition, support for community-based health centers must also be increased. This is possible without taking away existing benefits from those who desire, and can afford a higher level of service.

Local and national leaders must take charge and adapt the healthcare system to the times.

The time for action is now.

Senator Gary L. Hooser
Watch "The Hooser Story" at http://www.garyhooser.com