By Mark Niesse
The Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii is proposing a new free health plan that will cover critical chemotherapy and dialysis treatments for legal migrants from independent Pacific nations.
Migrants from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau had previously protested Hawaii Department of Human Services’ move toward removing the costly treatments it provides for free from its health plan covering adult non-citizens. A federal judge’s Sept. 1 ruling prevented Hawaii from implementing that plan.
The new Basic Health Hawaii program announced Monday includes those treatments while still saving about $8 million in taxpayer money.
The previous plan would have produced $15 million in savings. ♦