Kids' insurance program loses funding

HONOLULU, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A program that provides health insurance to 2,000 Hawaii children will lose its funding after less than a year, officials said.

The Keiki Care Program, a collaborative three-year effort between the Hawaii Medical Service Association and state Department of Human Services, will lose state funding after Nov. 1, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported Friday.

"This is another blow to folks already struggling," said state Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, a Democrat who helped pass legislation that created the program.

Chun Oakland, chairwoman of the Senate Human Services and Housing Committee, said Kenneth Fink, new DHS Med-QUEST Division administrator, reportedly told her a decision was made by the governor's office.

Cliff Cisco, senior vice president of the Hawaii Medical Service Association, said he was notified the state will stop funding the program when the governor's office issued a statement.

"I hope the state would continue its commitment to the program," he said. "The main thing is our commitment to the families who have children enrolled in it."