Medicaid: Hawaiʻi’s Much-Needed Lifeline to Healthcare

Nahe, a single mother, struggles with the cost of living despite her good job as a medical assistant. “Every parent wants the best for their child and I appreciate Medicaid coverage for my daughter’s healthcare,” she shared. 

Medicaid, known in Hawaiʻi as QUEST, provides health insurance to economically disadvantaged individuals and families. Medicaid has shown positive economic impacts on states, including job creation, increased tax revenue and economic growth.  

April is Medicaid Awareness Month and stories like Nahe’s are all too common. In Hawaiʻi, more than 400,000 residents are enrolled in Medicaid. Surprisingly, more than half of all children and 33 percent of births in Hawaiʻi are covered by Medicaid.  

These statistics reflect an enormous need for paid medical insurance for those who are facing the greatest economic and/or health hardships.  

Since AlohaCare was founded in 1994 as a nonprofit health plan, it has helped countless families live better and healthier. Today, its caring multi-disciplinary staff serve 70,000 members statewide of all ethnicities and ages, with approximately 40 percent under the age of 21.  

Photo: AlohaCare

Health insurance is often not affordable or available – even for working adults. In fact, 64 percent of adults on Medicaid are employed, according to a recent report by the Kaiser Family Foundation. For those not working, the primary reasons include illness/disability, caregiving or the pursuit of an education.  

Medicaid allows countless people like Nahe, a working mom and college student, to take steps to better their economic future. Everyone in Hawaiʻi benefits from homegrown workers who are bettering themselves through education or training programs. 

Medicaid beneficiaries are Hawaiʻi’s keiki, our neighbors, coworkers and kūpuna. The program brings peace-of-mind knowing those we care about most are getting the healthcare they deserve. 

To learn more, visit https://discover.alohacare.org/.