Cost estimate of health care coverage for the medically indigent in Hawaii

The objective of the study was to estimate the cost of health insurance coverage of the medically indigent in Hawaii. The number of uninsured was estimated deductively from the coverages of those insurance companies doing business in the state, with an additional factor for persons with more than one policy coverage. Age and sex breakdowns of the uninsured were entered into actuarial tables and fee-for-service and HMO plan costs were obtained for the most prevalent health plan in the state. Annual coverage is estimated at US$46.090866 million and US$58.040700 million for fee-for-service and HMO plans, respectively. Seven potential sources of financing and five recommendations for further research are given.