A policy summit to address problems of more than 120,000 Hawaii residents without health insurance will be held 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Hawai'i Convention Center, starting with a continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Summit addresses problem
of uninsuredStar-Bulletin staff
The Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the level of public decision-making in Hawaii, is convening the Hawaii Uninsured Project Policy Summit.
The Hawaii Uninsured Project and the state Department of Health have received $149,900 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help support efforts to reduce the uninsured population.
It will be used to complete a comprehensive survey of current state policies, review all state and national policy options, collect and analyze data on the uninsured, and conduct outreach and gather community comment.
"Hawaii at one time had the lowest number of uninsured people in the country," said Dr. Virginia Pressler, state Health Department deputy director.
"In the last few years, we have seen that number shoot up. Because of this, the Department of Health has joined with public and private partners to create a broad coalition to deal with the crisis."
Key stockholders and decision-makers have been invited to the summit to develop understanding of the uninsured and impact on society, develop and prioritize policy recommendations and strategies, and build inspiration and political will to solve the problems.
Participating in a panel discussion on "Lessons Learned from Other Efforts and States" will be Dr. John Santa of the Office of Health Plan and Research in Salem, Ore.; Barbara Yondorf of Yondorf & Associates, Denver; and Tomiko Conner, Community Voices Project, Oakland, Calif.
An informational briefing on the uninsured will be presented by Linda Colburn, community facilitator, and Malaya Rogers, researcher, both with the Uninsured Project, and Susan Forbes, president, Hawaii Health Information Corp.
Robert Fazzi, president and chief executive officer of Fazzi Associates, will lead a session on "Creating the Context for Change."
Breakout sessions will be held in the afternoon on expanding federal health insurance programs, developing state programs, reforming the health insurance market, supporting safety net or indigent care programs and building on employer-based coverage.
Those interested in "identifying solutions that will effectively reduce the number of persons who are without health insurance in Hawaii" may call Jennifer Creed, 529-0453.