By Keli‘i Akina Testimony at this year’s Hawaii State Legislature has made it pretty clear why medical services in Hawaii should be exempted from the state general excise tax. At a recent legislative hearing on a bill that would do just that, dozens of doctors and healthcare advocates explained how the GET makes practicing in […] The post Hawaii is odd state out when it comes to taxing medical services appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

By Keli‘i Akina We must give credit where it’s due: Hawaii lawmakers seem to be getting serious about solving our healthcare shortages. Problems such as Hawaii’s doctor and nursing shortages existed before the COVID-19 crisis, but facing such a healthcare emergency without enough healthcare workers made it clear that the issue couldn’t be ignored any […] The post Nurse agreement could help heal Hawaii’s healthcare ills appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

Those of you who like to watch the legislative process unfold have probably wandered through (virtually, perhaps) a number of committee hearings.  Seeing these, you have probably gotten a taste of the power that legislative committee chairs wield.  The more bills that need to go through the committee, the more powerful that committee is.  For […] The post And Now the Big Guns Come Out appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

For those of you who care about citizen journalism and the free flow of ideas here in Hawaii Nei, you probably should know about ThinkTech Hawaii.  For many years it has been providing a platform for people to broadcast about all sorts of issues important to society and government in Hawaii. My first appearance on […] The post Aloha ThinkTech appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

There are a couple of measures moving in this year’s Legislature that are important for the many small businesses here that do business in passthrough entities (partnerships or S Corporations, mostly).  So, here’s the problem.  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2016 put a $10,000 hard cap on individual taxpayer deductions for state and […] The post The PTE (Passthrough Entity) Problem appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

By Keli‘i Akina I have said many times that there is no single solution to Hawaii’s housing crisis. We need a variety of approaches to improve the situation. One promising option is so-called adaptive reuse — that is, turning older office or commercial buildings into residential apartments or condominiums. In the wake of the COVID-19 […] The post Lift rules holding back conversion of office buildings to housing appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

We’ve passed the halfway point in this year’s legislative session.  The mood at the Capitol is kind of somber, as there is a growing realization that the amount of state resources that wildfire recoveries are going to consume has destroyed even the most pessimistic projections.  “There’s not a whole lot of extra money this year, […] The post GET on Health Care, Revisited appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

By Keli‘i Akina Through the years, each of my weekly letters to you has concluded with the Hawaiian phrase “E hana kākou” (“Let’s work together”) as a reminder of how important it is for us to find common ground as we work toward establishing a more free and prosperous Hawaii for all. Recently, that’s been […] The post Hawaii can’t afford inaction on housing reform appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

The Link between Oral Health and Cardiovascular Disease There is a growing body of research suggesting a link between oral health, specifically mouth cavities (also known as dental caries or tooth decay), and cardiovascular disease. Bacteria can enter the bloodstream through the mouth One theory suggests that the harmful bacteria involved in tooth decay and […] The post Oral Health and my Heart appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more

Consumers these days are being warned about the health hazards of highly processed foods. The message is that the health-conscious consumer should buy more whole foods and process them minimally. However, not all whole foods are safe, either, and some should come with a warning label.  One of the most common problems caused by some […] The post Burn Easily in the Sun? It Could be your Diet and Medications appeared first on Hawaii Reporter ..read more