(Honolulu-AP) -- Governor Lingle told a conference in Waikiki
yesterday that she plans to push for more funding of Hawaii's
community health clinics.
Lingle's comments were part of a day-long conference organized
by The Hawaii Uninsured Project to look at the rising number of
island residents without health insurance.
The governor also said she wants to increase competition among
health insurance companies and is considering a bill to waive the
tax on insurance premiums to attract new companies here.
And Lingle said she'd like to see groups like chambers of
commerce to be able to negotiate health plans for their members.
Hawaii 25 years ago was held up as a national model for its
near-universal health coverage. Uninsured rates were as low as two
percent.
That number's been on the rise, and now about one in ten Hawaii
residents have no insurance.
That statistic still gives Hawaii one of the best rates in the
country. But many say it's not good enough.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
