By Philamer Felicitas
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees’ regularly scheduled meeting on February 19 included an informational briefing on the proposed merger between Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA) and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health (HPH).
Health care professionals and representatives from The Queen’s Health Systems, HMSA and HPH provided trustees with an overview of the proposed consolidation and its potential implications for Hawaiʻi’s health care landscape. Discussion included possible impacts on Native Hawaiian health care, access to care in rural communities across the pae ʻāina, cost structures, provider networks and broader effects on service delivery statewide.
The proposed partnership would bring together Hawaiʻi’s largest health insurer, HMSA, and one of the state’s largest hospital systems, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health. Leaders from both organizations said the merger could help stabilize Hawaiʻi’s health care system, reduce administrative costs and invest more resources into primary care and rural health services. They also emphasized the importance of keeping health care organizations locally controlled rather than being taken over by national corporations.
At the same time, some health care leaders and community physicians raised concerns about the potential impacts of the consolidation. Representatives from The Queen’s Health Systems and other providers cautioned that the merger could shift patients and resources in ways that may weaken safety-net providers that serve vulnerable populations. Some independent Native Hawaiian physicians also expressed concern that the proposed partnership could affect access to care, quality of services and the long-term stability of health care providers who support Native Hawaiian communities.
During the briefing, trustees asked questions to better understand how the proposed partnership could affect health care access and delivery across Hawaiʻi, as well as what it may mean for OHA beneficiaries and the agency’s ongoing advocacy and policy efforts. Trustees also discussed the importance of ensuring that any changes to Hawaiʻi’s health care system continue to support equitable care for Native Hawaiians and other underserved communities.
The proposed merger has been submitted for federal review, and regulators will evaluate the potential impacts before any final decision is made.
Watch the discussion on OHA’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@OHAHawaii.
 Board of Trustees’ regularly scheduled meeting on February 19 included an informational briefing on the proposed merger between Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA) and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health (HPH).){kind=link}