HONOLULU (AP) — A proposed law in the state Legislature would require insurance companies to cover air ambulance rides to the mainland for critical procedures not offered in Hawaii.
HONOLULU (AP) — A proposed law in the state Legislature would require insurance companies to cover air ambulance rides to the mainland for critical procedures not offered in Hawaii.
The measure would take the burden off families that are put in tough situations due to the cost of air ambulance rides.
Tammy Tam, wife of the late former Deputy Attorney General Rodney Tam, said she experienced firsthand how current policies complicate care.
Tam said that when her husband fell ill, doctors told them he needed a lung transplant, which couldn’t be done in Hawaii. Her insurance covered the transplant, but she had to pay out of pocket for the flight to California on a specialized plane.
“Because it is not a provided benefit by the insurance company, the families have to come up with the cash 100 percent paid in full before they will even start to make any arrangements to bring the (medical) teams over,” Tam said.
Such a flight costs anywhere from $80,000 to $130,000.
“The time it took to coordinate it all and to recognize that this is what he needed just caused other things to fail,” Tam said.
“So he ended up having kidney, liver, and lung failure.”
Her husband died July 4. He never got the lung transplant he desperately needed.
“The burden on the families that are already extremely distressed, I don’t even know how to explain the relief that it would have been if the cost of transportation was not an issue,” Tam said.
Valid points. But how about developing the medical infrastructure in Hilo/Kona? There have been prior efforts to do such but local docs “no like.” We’d rather take our patient to HNL. But when you are sick, do you really want to go to HNL? If must, fine, but there is no reason the Big Island cannot have a robust cardiac surgery program, interventional vascular surgery program, and the essentials of trauma surgery. This State CON process is archaic. Everybody thinks “oh, no problem, when I get sick, I go to Honolulu or mainland.” That is fine until you get sick. When you are sick, you start circling the drain pretty darn fast. Such a shame. A population of 150,000 can support a competent open heart program doing 300 – 400 surgery and interventions annually…without traveling. It’s done all over the mainland. But, so far, “no can.” Get one big problem. Thanks to the Big Island Brain Drain and our parochial mind set. Common guys, let’s move in to the modern day. Sure no miracles, but can certainly do more here. Lastly, physician reimbursement. We just moved back to Hawaii, after being a way about 20 years. An office visit in Washington was reimbursed $120, here in Hilo, same thing $89….with a cost of living 20 % higher. Why? HMSA’s dominance over the years. Sure low cost is good, but the docs cannot afford to practice here. Too bad. We love Hawaii, but, unfortunately not many things have changed in the past 20 years. The bystander/observer will say “it’s fine, I have my doctor, I’ll go to Straub.” Until you get sick…then it is a very different system. How fix? not the State or County. Deregulate and encourage young docs who want to build a life here….believe me, there are plenty of back water places on the “Big Island, i.e. mainland” where cardiac patient can receive stents in their home town, and even open heart surgery in towns of 50,000 with good results. Why not here? Because “No Can.” Truley unfortunate.
No miracles, but can be better. Open our eyes. Get the bureaucrats out of it and let progress happen. Po ho. JK