With the March 31 deadline to sign up for health coverage looming, the Hawaii Health Connector announced Wednesday that thousands of Hawaii residents could be eligible for no-cost health coverage or tax credits.
A report issued Tuesday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services found that a total of 34,000 uninsured Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the state could qualify for the health care benefits. Honolulu alone accounts for 25,000 eligible uninsured residents, according to a Health Connector press release issued Wednesday afternoon.
“We want to remind people that they may be eligible for savings on their health care coverage costs through the Connector,” said Tom Matsuda, Hawaii Health Connector’s interim executive director. “Our outreach staff and Kokua partners are actively assisting residents in completing their applications and signing up for coverage at community events and scheduled appointments.”
In a Wednesday phone interview from Honolulu, Health Connector spokesman Bobby Lambrix said that Connector outreach staff and partners in their Kokua network have been busy reaching out to the affected populations across the state.
“(The benefits) could have a huge impact, especially considering the concentration of those ethnicities in Hawaii,” he said.
“So much of our outreach is centered on education,” said Connector Program Specialist Nikki Baysa. “We help people understand what resources are available to them when they’re looking for health coverage. Having Kokua, who are multilingual, is a great way to share the benefits with our diverse community here on Maui.”
As the March 31 deadline approaches, outreach staff and Kokua will be at dozens more events statewide. A list of these events is online at hawaiihealthconnector.com/countdown.
The Connector’s Kokua network consists of various marketplace assister organizations in Hawaii, including the following, which work specifically with the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities:
• The Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homelands Assembly
• Hamakua Health Center
• Kalanihale
• Kipuka O Ke Ola
Hospital staff at Hilo Medical Center regularly work with patients to help them apply for such health benefits, said Hawaii Health Systems Corp. East Hawaii Regional Chief Operations Officer Dan Brinkman.
“Hawaii, in general, has a very good safety net. (A large percentage) of residents qualify for these kinds of programs. … What we find in the hospital is that we often have patients come in without insurance, and most of them we can help sign up and qualify for these programs,” he said.
Many clients qualify for programs like Quest, aimed at helping low-income Hawaii residents receive medical coverage, but they just haven’t done it beforehand, he said.
“Many say they just haven’t gotten around to it, or they thought they wouldn’t qualify,” Brinkman said.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
