According to the Hawaii Medical Association, the state of Hawaii is having an increasingly difficult time attracting and retain physicians. While doctors in Hawaii get paid slightly more than the national average, the high cost of living has discouraged them from moving to the islands. One of the biggest challenges is that Medicare payments do not reflect this cost of living differential. Christopher Flanders, the executive director of HMA, stated, "It shows when you make an adjustment for the cost of living, we're underpaid by about 30 percent. It's a substantial amount, and we've never been able to get a real clear idea as to why that is."
The state of Hawaii is facing a shortage of about 700 doctors and that number is expected to double by 2020. Hilton Raethel, the chief health officer for the Hawaii Medical Service Association, which controls about 65 percent of the state's health insurance market, stated, "Hawaii has excellent doctors and health care facilities. We know that it's important to pay these providers enough to give them incentive to continue providing high quality care to our members. But we also work very hard to keep health insurance affordable so we can make it available to everyone in Hawaii. It's a difficult balance to maintain."
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 9-22-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
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