Hawai‘i Health Exchanges Selects Board Members

Photo courtesy of the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

By Sonia Isotov

Hawai’i Health Connector, established to create and oversee the State’s health insurance exchange, seats 15 permanent board members today.

The Connector’s aim is a health insurance exchange that takes into account the Prepaid Health Care Act as well as the state’s employer mandate for health insurance coverage.

As of July 1, the following persons comprise the Hawaii Health Connector board of directors:

Cliff Alakai–Maui Medical Group
Clementina Ceria-Ulep, Ph.D., MSN, R.N.–Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE)
Joan Danieley–Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
Jennifer Diesman–Hawai’i Medical Services Association (HMSA)
Patricia McManaman– Department of Human Services (DHS)
Beth Giesting–Hawai’i Office of the Governor
Michael Gleason–The Arc of Hilo
Robert Hirokawa, DC, DrPH, MPH–Hawai’i Primary Care Association
Faye Kurren–Hawai’i Dental Service (HDS)
Keali‘i Lopez–Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs
Sherry Menor-McNamara–Chamber of Commerce of Hawai’i
Gwen Rulona–UFCW Local 480
Christine Mai‘i Sakuda–Hawai’i Health Information Exchange (HHIE)
Hardy Spoehr–Papa Ola Lōkahi
Edward Wang–Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

During the 2011 legislative session, Senate Bill (SB) 1348 relating to the Hawai’i Health Insurance Exchange received strong bipartisan support and on July 8, 2011, Governor Neil Abercrombie signed into law Act 205 (SB 1348, CD1) establishing the Hawai’i Health Insurance Exchange Act.

The Hawai’i Health Connector (Act 205) provides the framework for a private, nonprofit quasi-governmental health insurance exchange that conforms to the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010.

Act 205 states that the Insurance Commissioner of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) shall determine eligibility for the inclusion of qualified insurers and plans. The Department of Human Services (DHS) will determine eligibility for applicants in the Medicaid adult and children’s health insurance program (CHIP).