Add Hawaii to the growing list of states that can’t afford to continue funding their financially unsustainable ObamaCare exchange.
“The state’s exchange is drowning in their own debt and is set to shut down by September 30,” writes Kristina Ribali of the Foundation for Government Accountability. “Administrators had been hoping to get a funding boost from state lawmakers, during their current legislative session, but that will not happen.”
Hawaii’s death spiral became clear in January when the federal government notified the state that it was out of compliance with ObamaCare’s performance benchmarks. By this year state exchanges have to prove their long term financial viability, and their IT systems must be integrated with the Medicaid database. The latter requirement ensures that applicants are correctly channeled to the appropriate government assistance program.
Hawaii – like Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont – isn’t generating enough revenue in enrollment fees to make its exchange solvent. Its failure to integrate IT systems is likely the final blow before the state hands over its exchange function to Healthcare.gov, the federal counterpart.
Like the other states just mentioned, Hawaii’s ObamaCare exchange failure has been expensive: $204.3 million.
Fed up with a dysfunctional health exchange operated by Xerox, Nevada officials voted to terminate the contract and transfer responsibility to the federal government.
Nevada joins Oregon, Maryland and Massachusetts as states who have scrapped their original state-based exchanges because of exceedingly poor performance.
The next domino to fall may be Hawaii, whose ObamaCare exchange – the Hawaii Health Connector – has registered just 8,500 people but needs at least 150,000 enrollees to ensure the program is self-sustaining.
A few weeks ago, Ashton gave us a column’s worth of examples of President Obama’s rhetorical stupidity, much of which involved running down the nation he governs. Well, the Schoolmarm-in-Chief is at it again. From coverage of the APEC summit going on in Hawaii:
Note the palm trees in the background if you want to fully understand the moral force of the president’s example. Effort may be the issue, but we’re not sure the private sector is the culprit.
It’s been a while since former Rep. Charles Djou (R-HI) lost his reelection bid last November. CFIF profiled Djou prior to his upset victory in a special election last May. Now, it looks like Djou might run for a U.S. Senate seat, but only if former Governor Linda Lingle (R-HI) decides against it.
Of the two, Djou is the more conservative; especially when it comes to fiscal matters. That said, either candidate would certainly be an improvement over retiring Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI).
The last few days offered a study in contrasts. Charles Djou won a plurality special election becoming just the third Republican to represent Hawaii in Congress. He did so by sticking relentlessly to a pro-growth, low tax message that resonated in a heavily Democratic district. While Djou won’t vote with the GOP on every issue, his commitment to fiscal conservatism will be a huge factor in whether he gets reelected to a full term in November.
Contrast Djou’s steady drum beat approach to Rand Paul’s improvisational jazz. The Kentucky GOP senate nominee erased the euphoria of a double digit beat down of the establishment candidate last Tuesday by questioning the constitutionality of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a federal law mandating racial equality. His points aside, Paul took his eye off the ball by engaging the issue. The 2010 midterm election results – and Rand Paul’s popularity – are not the product of a national rethink on the scope of Congress’s power to enforce the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
It’s about the economy, Rand. The safest ground for limited government types this cycle is to stay on message that tax-and-spend must end. Just Djou it.
Republican Charles Djou appears to be closing in on the special election victory CFIF highlighted months ago. If he does become the congressman from President Barack Obama’s Hawaiian hometown, not only will the Aloha State be sending a staunch fiscal conservative to the House of Representatives, it will mean Djou will have the power of incumbency in the fall. Assuming he wins, it will be interesting to see how he uses his voting record to maintain his conservative credentials while not alienating a majority of voters in a heavily Democratic district.
A remarkable event is brewing in President Obama’s old childhood stomping grounds (see CFIF’s Ashton Ellis reporting here). The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has cleared the path for Republican Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou and his congressional bid for Hawaii’s open seat by pulling all of its resources from his opposition.
In a May 22 special election, the candidates for the seat vacated by Democrat Neil Abercrombie are running without a primary. Djou could win, with two candidates splitting the Democratic vote. The DCCC ad pull follows recent polling showing Djou with an 8-point margin over the leading Democrat.
Djou would be the first Republican to represent Hawaii in Congress in twenty years and would be only the third member of the GOP to serve as a representative in the island state’s history.
Since Hawaii’s economy relies heavily on tourist dollars, it isn’t likely that Aloha State voters will buy what national Democrats are selling, even if House leadership decides to back one of the two contenders challenging Djou in the open special election on May 22nd.
Sometimes, voters just prefer good, honest, straightforward candidates.
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