Health Care

The traditional Hawaiian moral values of compassion and care for each other is embedded in Hawai‘i’s culture and people.  Senator Schatz embraces these values and is committed to ensuring that all Hawai‘i families have access to affordable, quality health care.  

Thanks to historic health care reforms made in Hawai‘i in the 1970s, Hawai‘i has one of the highest rates of health insurance coverage in the country.  Still, while many Hawai‘i families are covered through Hawai‘i’s Prepaid Health Care Act, over 100,000 people remain uninsured.  For that reason, Senator Schatz is committed to expanding access to health care for every family, and to making the Affordable Care Act work successfully.  This law will give thousands of uninsured people in Hawai‘i access to quality, affordable health care.  This historic legislation has allowed thousands of young adults in Hawai‘i to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, and protected nearly half a million people in Hawai‘i from being denied coverage by their insurance company because of a pre-existing condition.

In the U.S. Senate, Brian has secured funding for some of the most important health programs in Hawai‘i, particularly those that address the health care needs of Native Hawaiians.  To expand health care in rural communities, like those on our neighbor islands, Senator Schatz introduced the Rural Preventive Health Care Training Act.  The legislation would fund preventative health care training for students capable of treating 110,000 Hawai‘i residents living in rural areas, expanding access to care by providing medical treatment close to home.

Senator Schatz believes access to quality, affordable health care is a right that must be protected and expanded for all Americans.  Brian will continue to fight to ensure every family in Hawai‘i has the health care they need.