Kaiser issues statement in response to proposed Hawai‘i Medical Service Association, Hawai‘i Pacific Health merger

The health and well-being of Hawai‘i’s people is — and will always be — Kaiser Permanente’s highest priority.

With that said, the healthcare organization shares some of the concerns expressed by the healthcare community about the proposed partnership between Hawai‘i Medical Service Association and Hawai‘i Pacific Health.

However, Kaiser Permanente officials also recognize that innovative solutions and enhanced partnerships could be necessary for the sustainability of Hawai‘i’s healthcare system as a whole.

“We want to better understand how this proposed merger will meet the needs of Hawai‘i’s communities,” says a statement from Kaiser about the proposed partnership.

All three of the nonprofits have a shared responsibility to support the health of the state’s people, and Kaiser says they must work together to protect the Hawai‘i’s fragile ecosystem.

Kaiser Permanente has been honored to serve the people of Hawai‘i as an integrated health plan and care delivery system for more than 65 years — providing high-quality, affordable care to its members throughout the state. 

The nonprofit pioneered the integrated care and coverage model more than 80 years ago.

“Our value-based model — rooted in our mission to improve health and give back to the communities we serve — has proven to be effective for more than 268,000 people in Hawai‘i and 12.6 million members nationwide,” the organization’s statement says. “Our approach has always aligned incentives across the health insurance, hospital and clinic care and the doctors and other providers caring for our members.”

No matter what level of care a patient needs — primary care, specialist referral, surgery and procedures, diagnostic labs and imaging, behavioral health, pharmacy — it is all aligned and managed with a single electronic medical record.

How it works

• Primary and specialty care, pharmacy, optometry, behavioral Health: Care teams share a single electronic health record, enabling same‑day medication adjustments, coordinated behavioral health follow‑ups and clear treatment plans.
• Screenings and diagnostics: Proactive outreach for mammography, colonoscopy and cardiovascular checks, as well as same‑day labs and imaging where available. Results flow directly to the care team to accelerate next steps.
• Hospital-to-home transitions: Coordinated discharge planning, medication reconciliation at the pharmacy, remote monitoring for chronic conditions and nurse follow‑ups to reduce avoidable readmissions.
• Virtual and in‑person access: Secure telehealth visits integrated with in‑person care so members can choose what works best and still stay connected with their team.
• Community collaboration: While vertically integrated, we partner with community hospitals and providers statewide — because collaboration strengthens access and continuity of care for everyone.

This keeps the patient at the center, while ensuring health care remains accessible and affordable for communities statewide.

As a single medical group, every Kaiser physician is aligned with caring for the entire patient population, regardless of their insurance type, Medicare or Medicaid.

Kaiser Permanente denied less than 1% of the 15 million referral requests it received in 2024 nationwide.

“Our physicians are the Hawai‘i Permanente Medical Group — not employees of the health insurance plan or a hospital system — so they are empowered to provide the care you need, when you need it, without unnecessary preauthorization delays,” says Kaiser’s statement.

The boards of Hawai‘i Medical Service Association and Hawai‘i Pacific Health recently authorized the two healthcare organizations to move forward with a planned partnership by submitting their proposal to appropriate state and federal agencies for review.

That marks the first step in the public review process.

They would establish a new nonprofit parent organization — One Health Hawai‘i — under the proposal, which the nonprofits say would align strategy, strengthen collaboration and improve coordination throughout Hawaiʻi’s healthcare system.

The partnership — if approved — would advance shared goals of making high-quality health care more affordable, expanding access statewide and fostering long-term financial sustainability for the people of Hawai‘i, while supporting providers, health organizations and communities throughout the islands.