Health Care

The Conversation spoke with Francoise Culley-Trotman, the CEO of Alohacare, about why raising the profile of the Medicaid program is so important.

Lawmakers rush to pass bills before the end of the legislative session; HPR hears from the winners of the Hawaiʻi History Day competition

The newly established Essential Rural Medical Air Transport program is teaming up with Pūlama Ka Heke on Molokaʻi and Lāna‘i Kinā‘ole to allow air transportation for non-emergency medical services that aren't offered on these islands.

The Trump administration has withheld from Hawaiʻi about $2.1 million in federal Title X funding, which usually goes to clinics for services like birth control, cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports on what that means for Hawaiʻi health care providers.

Lawmakers have passed a controversial measure to regulate midwifery in Hawaiʻi. It would change the law passed in 2019 that set narrow and strict standards for midwifery licensure and effectively barred traditional Native Hawaiian midwives from practicing.

Gov. Josh Green has announced a $10 million grant to further cancer care on Oʻahu for Queen’s Medical Center - West Oʻahu and Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children.

About 15,000 Hawaiʻi utility customers had their power disconnected last year as a result of missed payments. Having an electronic medical device can make you more vulnerable to utility disconnections.

Lawmakers are trying to reform a health insurance practice known as prior authorization, which was originally aimed at curbing unnecessary treatments. As HPRʻs Ashley Mizuo reports, critics say the practice is now making it difficult for many people to get medical services.

Vaccination rates here in Hawaiʻi are concerning public health experts. The Conversation talked to Hye-ryeon Lee, who is the chair of the School of Communication and Information at UH Mānoa and studies health communication about vaccine hesitancy.

Kūpuna with lower incomes may not realize that they can qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare because it can be difficult to navigate through the application process. That’s why the state Department of Health’s Executive Office on Aging wants to set up the Medi-Medi Project to help them cut their health costs.