In their own words.

“I had low-income housing in Lahaina, and I lost it in the fire. I’ve been homeless many times. I go through jobs like you would change your clothes, because businesses can’t afford to pay me or even stay open.”

“I’m 29 years old, from Maui, and I graduated from Maui High School in 2017. You would think that in my late 20s I would have it together by now, but that’s not the case for most single people like me. I’ve been on my own since I was 18. Maui is home, and this place is all I know. I hope this gets the community’s attention. It’s very nerve-racking at times, but mahalo for letting me share my journey.”

“On Maui, the only option to have the procedure done on-island is by a general surgeon. As a cancer survivor, the only appropriate option for me was a gastroenterologist. The nearest one is on Oʻahu. It felt so daunting that I put the whole thing off for over a year.”

“I had to book two round-trip tickets, find a hotel, and do the prep alone in a hotel room the night before. My husband took a day off work and flew over just to drive me. The whole ordeal cost more than $750 out of pocket. It’s just insane that we have to do all that because of the lack of a basic gastroenterologist here on Maui. And it’s not the only time my husband or I have had to go to Oʻahu for medical care.”

“The shortage is not specific to physicians, but to specialists across the healthcare spectrum. Insurance reimbursements are far too low relative to the cost of living. It doesn’t matter how many homes are built in Maui County; physicians will never be able to live here if reimbursements don’t rise.”

“Margins are exceedingly thin in healthcare, and taking 4.5% of gross revenue in general excise tax is absurd. Residents are going to start seeing more and more providers move to a cash-based model, or refuse Medicare and Quest patients entirely.”

“We are experiencing the exact same thing. The explosion of Silicon Valley forced the cost of living so high that very few middle-income families can afford to live here. The politicians keep building housing and saying some will be affordable, but they don’t say affordable for whom. Our hospital cannot get doctors.”

“Three generations of my family have lived here, yet my kids cannot afford to. Leveling the playing field between the haves and the have-nots is the only way to make a sustainable living situation for so many exploited locals.”