With the Hawaii Health Connector moving to the federal exchange program, we have one overriding concern: The thousands of members currently receiving health coverage through the exchange, who must remain a top priority throughout the transition.

While the Connector faced many significant challenges along the way, there’s no denying that it provided many Hawaii residents with more affordable health care coverage and the opportunity to choose the health care plan that would best meet their needs.

It’s been reported that some individual exchange customers could face rate hikes up to nearly 50 percent next year. Through the many efficiencies we’ve gained through technology and process innovation at Kaiser Permanente, we won’t have to ask our individual exchange members to pay that much more next year. But unfortunately, we also have had to increase rates somewhat due to rising costs.

These rising costs are not because of the Affordable Care Act, or specific populations served by it. Health care costs have been trending upward for years for a variety of reasons: an aging population, specialty pharmacy and technology costs that did not exist decades ago, outside medical services and regulatory requirements, to name a few.

We’ll continue to focus on affordability because we intend to keep serving our members enrolled through the exchange, including thousands who were previously uninsured. Providing affordable coverage to these members is the first step toward increasing access to care.

Health care is all about affordability and choice. A healthy young college student should have the opportunity to choose health care that makes sense for him, with more affordable premiums that put coverage in his reach.

A senior with a history of heart disease and little retirement income must be able to take advantage of a Medicare plan that allows her to get the treatment she needs to stay healthy.

A small business owner struggling to make ends meet in a tight economy should be able to take advantage of tax credits and subsidies that allow him to provide coverage to his trusted employees.

Together, affordability and choice enable individuals to be active participants in their health care. When consumers can choose a plan at the price and level of coverage that matches their needs, more people have health coverage and receive better care, sooner. And when they receive treatment before a minor illness or injury becomes serious, the result is a healthier community, thriving businesses and lower health care costs.

It is up to health care providers and insurers to work in earnest to improve affordability in health care. The medical industry is evolving, and so are methods of containing costs while ensuring more people have access to care, be it through preventive screenings or virtual visits.

Whatever obstacles must be overcome to ensure all Hawaii residents receive the health care they need, Kaiser Permanente believes as it did at its inception over 70 years ago: that the highest quality care should be affordable to all.

By leveraging the latest technology, sharing data and best practices, and providing e-visits and other new ways to access care, we can decrease health care costs and improve outcomes.

More affordable health care, coupled with choice in the market, will allow Hawaii to maintain its ranking as one of the healthiest states in the nation.