This edition of “5 Things We’re Watching” features several of the conversations our team at State of Reform has hosted over the past month. We have a Q&A with the new director of the Hawaii Budget and Policy Center, comments from Lt. Gov. Josh Green from our recent federal policy conference, and an update on … Read more
Will White became director of the Hawaii Budget and Policy Center (HBCP) in early 2022. He returned to his home neighborhood, Kalihi Valley, following several years as the Senior Director of Policy and Government Affairs at United Way Bay Area. His main focus has been on utilizing Hawaii’s state budget and tax code to foster … Read more
One of the key discussions at the 2022 Hawaii State of Reform Virtual Health Policy Conference earlier this month revolved around the complex social and economic factors that impact the health of our communities, and how Hawaii’s health care system can better address them. Bringing perspectives from health plans, policy advocates, and community health centers, … Read more
The Hawai‘i Budget and Policy Center today released its final installment of a three-part series on the relationship between health and housing affordability. Aside from highlighting disparities across health and housing, the report also delved into health care for people experiencing homelessness, and policy solutions for a more affordable housing market. “Our housing … Read more
The Hawaii Budget and Policy Center (HBPC) is calling for lawmakers to pass tax reform that would address racial and socioeconomic disparities across the state. Health care costs in Hawaii are unevenly distributed between low and high wage earners. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the bottom 10% of wage … Read more
Beth Giesting is the director of the Hawai’i Budget and Policy Center (HBPC), a public policy research and analysis program under Hawai’i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice. Giesting’s work highlights the intersection between health care and policy, with a focus on their impacts on Hawai’i’s low-income and underserved communities. This month, Giesting published … Read more