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Papa Ola Lokahi warns HHS cuts and Medicaid proposals would leave native Hawaiians without coordinated health support
Summary
Dr. Sherry Ann Daniels, CEO of Papa Ola Lokahi, told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs that native Hawaiian health programs are statutorily named and primarily funded through HHS (HRSA) and that Medicaid and other cuts would disproportionately affect native Hawaiian families and services on the islands.
WASHINGTON — Dr. Sherry Ann Daniels, chief executive officer of Papa Ola Lokahi, told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs that native Hawaiian health programs are statutorily authorized and rely primarily on HHS funding streams outside the Indian Health Service, and she warned that proposed Medicaid and HHS cuts could deepen disparities for native Hawaiian families.
Papa Ola Lokahi, Daniels said, was created by Congress in 1988 by the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act and is the named entity charged with coordinating native Hawaiian health programs through a network of island‑based community health organizations. "We are statutorily named and created to support and uplift the health of native Hawaiians," Daniels said.
Why it matters: Witnesses emphasized that native Hawaiians receive the bulk of federal health program support through HHS agencies, notably HRSA, and not IHS. Senators noted a House bill discussed in committee that would include a Medicare/Medicaid reduction; Daniels and others said the bill's carve‑outs do not explicitly include native Hawaiians, risking exclusion from protections extended to Alaska Native and American Indian beneficiaries.
Testimony highlights: Daniels said Papa Ola Lokahi and its five community‑based health organizations reach tens of thousands of people and partner with federally qualified health centers, hospitals and community groups. She cited high shares of native Hawaiians among TANF recipients and child‑welfare cases in the state, and said cuts to HRSA, CDC prevention efforts and Medicaid would slow access to care, harm preventive programs and make disaster recovery — for example, work after the Lahaina wildfires — more difficult.
Committee response: Senators asked whether other entities are authorized to coordinate native Hawaiian health under statute; Daniels replied no. Senators asked about the impact of Medicaid cuts; Daniels said cuts that impose work requirements or tighten eligibility would slow access and add hurdles that are especially harmful where employment rates and health disparities are already burdensome.
What was not decided: No statutory changes were enacted. Senators asked HHS to clarify the treatment of native Hawaiian health programs in any budget or legislative proposals and for follow‑up information.
Source notes: All quotes and program descriptions are from Dr. Sherry Ann Daniels' testimony and committee exchanges during the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing.
