Editorials
Thursday, May 8, 1997HAWAII'S proud boast that it is the state with the most comprehensive health insurance coverage has a hollow ring these days. The effort to provide insurance for the gap group -- the people between the very poor and those who can afford full coverage -- is falling short. The result is a growing number of Hawaii residents with no health insurance. It's a situation that must be addressed. State must address
health insurance gapEstimates of the number of uninsured vary. Susan Chandler, director of the Department of Human Services, estimates 20,000. Elizabeth Giesting, executive director of the State Primary Care Association, said the number could be as large as 100,000.
Hawaii's stagnant economy and the consequent loss of jobs are increasing the number of people in this gap group. These are people who are often employed, but in many cases only part-time, in low-paying jobs, who do not qualify for employer-subsidized health insurance and can't afford to buy it themselves.
The Quest program merged Medicaid and SHIP (State Health Insurance Plan) in 1994 but planners underestimated the demand. Instead of the 110,000 people the state expected, 160,000 registered, overwhelming the program's resources. To balance benefits with available resources, the state tightened eligibility requirements and cut benefits, aiming at an enrollment of 125,000. Chandler says the state needs a new insurance program for the working poor, because Quest isn't covering them and many are going without insurance.
Hawaii found a way to provide health insurance for most people in the 1970s by requiring employers to subsidize their workers' coverage. In a period of rapid economic growth, the private sector generally was able to absorb the expense. Today, however, placing more burdens on business is no longer an option.
Health insurance is essential to survival in the modern world and the state must find a way to enable people in this gap group to obtain it. Increased taxpayer support for subsidies through the Quest program or something similar seems unavoidable.
MORE than three years after taking effect, the North American Free Trade Agreement of the United States, Canada and Mexico remains controversial. While opponents maintain it has cost U.S. jobs, the reality is that 80 percent of the U.S. export growth so far this year has come from Mexico and Canada. Extending the free trade area to other parts of Latin America would help bring greater prosperity throughout the Western Hemisphere. Americas' free trade
A chilling view of the character of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian government is provided by the announcement that Palestinians who sell land to Israelis will be punished by death. The prohibition is intended to prevent projects like the Har Homa housing complex in East Jerusalem. The complex is being built, over Palestinian protests, on land sold to Jews after Israel captured the area in the 1967 war. Palestinian land sales
What kind of a government could issue such an edict? How can Arafat expect Israel to accede to Palestinian statehood when his regime exhibits such contempt for human rights and such flagrant hostility to Israel and its citizens?
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
