Akaka vows to defend health care programs
U.S. Sens. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., have vowed to continue their fight for legislation to fund Early Head Start/Head Start programs and other health care programs.
Akaka has introduced legislation that would repeal requirements in a recently passed budget that would disproportionately affect low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, according to his release.
After visiting parents and children at the Kuhio Park Terrace Resource Center late last month in Kalihi-Palama, Akaka and Dodd met with staff, parents and children at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.
"I met with a mother today who said if it wasn't for Medicaid benefits, her special-needs child would not be able to receive the kind of care he is getting now at Kapiolani. Parents who are dealing with the hardships of a sick child should not have an additional burden worrying about whether they qualify for Medicaid benefits," Akaka said, according to a release dated March 24.
He said 43 percent of patient discharges from Kapiolani are Medicaid-Quest beneficiaries.
Akaka has worked closely with Dodd, a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the senior Democrat on its Education and Early Childhood Development Subcommittee.