Petition goals to exempt medical prices from state common excise tax

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The next is a information launched issued Oct. 6, 2022, by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.
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HONOLULU, Oct. 6, 2022 >> The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has launched a petition urging the Hawaii Legislature to exempt medical companies from the state’s common excise tax. The aim is to make healthcare extra inexpensive and assist alleviate Hawaii’s physician scarcity.

“Hawaii households have been combating the rising prices of products for years, and healthcare is not any completely different,” mentioned Keli‘i Akina, Institute president and CEO. “We have now an ongoing physician scarcity, overstressed hospitals and delays in entry to care. A GET exemption would lower prices for shoppers and make Hawaii a extra engaging place for docs to apply.”

Physicians themselves have cited Hawaii’s tax on medical companies as a contributing issue of their choices to depart the state. Hawaii is one in every of solely 4 states that taxes medical companies, and docs are unable to cross on the tax to Medicare sufferers, who make up about 18% of residents who’ve medical health insurance.

A GET exemption has broad help amongst present and potential future state lawmakers. Candidates starting from Democratic Lt. Gov. Josh Inexperienced to long-time Republican state consultant Gene Ward have expressed help. As well as, a bipartisan group of state senators launched a invoice in 2021 that may’ve exempted medical companies from the GET, together with meals and hygiene merchandise.

In response to a survey performed final yr by Anthology Analysis, 79% of residents agreed that decrease taxes would assist residents afford the state’s excessive value of dwelling, and 73% agreed that residents and companies are overtaxed.

Akina mentioned different components contributing to Hawaii’s unaffordability and healthcare shortages embrace the state’s medical certificate-of-need legal guidelines, occupational licensing legal guidelines and “scope of apply” limits on nurses and pharmacists.

“However exempting medical companies from the GET,” he mentioned, “can be a serious first step towards offering lengthy overdue and much-needed aid.”

The petition to exempt medical companies from the state GET will probably be accessible for signatures till January, when it is going to be submitted to members of the 2023 Legislature for consideration.

Residents thinking about being part of this initiative can signal the petition right here: www.grassrootinstitute.org/get-exemption.

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