Health Insurance Required in Hawaii

Although Hawaii doesn't require residents to carry health insurance, the state's laws offer many options for people to access affordable health care. The Aloha State's low rate of uninsured people perhaps contributes to the state's overall heath.

Employers Insure Workers

• Hawaii requires employers to partially pay for most employees' heath care. Businesses must insure any employee who works at least 20 hours per week and earns about 87 times the current Hawaii minimum wage per month. Coverage begins after four consecutive weeks of employment.

Different Plans Available

• Employers can choose to buy an insurance policy from the private market, or fund one of their own. Hawaii's Department of Labor and Industrial Relations must approve all health plans. Employers must pay at least half of the health insurance premium's cost, although they can also elect to pay the entire cost. A worker's share can't exceed 1.5 percent of her monthly gross earnings.

Protections

• Group health plans in Hawaii cannot impose exclusion periods for people with preexisting conditions. And starting in 2010, the state offers high-risk health insurance pools for people with preexisting conditions who can't find private insurance.

  For low-income families, Hawaii prvides free and subsidized health plans, including QUEST, which offers free health care for families, pregnant women and low-income senior citizens. Women can also receive free breast and cervical cancer screenings.