James Richardson asked why the Hawaii Medical Service Association doesn’t put members with Affordable Care Act plans in the same risk pool as those without ACA plans when we set premiums ("Connector clients treated unfairly," Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 10).

The answer is we follow federal regulations that define the risk pool for ACAplans as members who bought an individual plan on the Hawaii Health Connector or directly from us.

We agree that including people without ACA plans in this risk pool would help moderate rate increases overall. But there’s a tradeoff: Healthier people might pay more in premiums to offset the medical costs of the less healthy.

We’ll keep working with state policymakers on the best way to meet the needs of our community while keeping the increased access to health care provided by the ACA.

The federal health law has helped thousands of Hawaii residents get health coverage. That’s good for the well-being of our state. But unfortunately it comes with a price that we’re seeing now.

Wendell Oda
Vice president, underwriting Hawaii Medical Service Association

Health insurers face economic realities

Those folks shocked and upset by the Hawaii Medical Service Association’s request for a nearly 50 percent rate increase on Affordable Care Act members need to realize that any insurance company has to collect at least as much in premiums as it pays out in claims.That’s why the old joke about buying life insurance is basically you making a bet that you will die before the company thinks you will.

Obamacare targeted those people who had no insurance or were in "high-risk" pools for a variety of reasons.The hope was that younger, healthier folks would sign up too, so they would cover the costs of the sicker ones.That didn’t happen.It was no surprise to many.

This all has little to do with HMSA salaries or other overhead costs, and everything to do with economic fundamentals — even if government promised it will be different this time.

Jim Wolery
Kaneohe

Look at both sides of political debates

The partisan debate can be angry and divisive. Toning down the rhetoric would help. Demonizing the opposition makes one less persuasive.If someone makes a false statement, we can just say so instead of claiming that they are not politically correct or worse.

When we say things, they are less likely to be true if we say "all" and more likely to be true if we say "some."

The reason Ronald Reagan was a good debater was that he was a Democratic union boss before he became an arch-conservative.He understood the other guy’s point of view.

Lloyd Lim
Makiki

Nothing new about legal marijuana

Rep. Marcus Oshiro is apparently content to recycle prohibitionist talking points without doing any background research ("For-profit marijuana will be dangerous," Star-Advertiser, Insight, June 14).

Legal marijuana is not a "new idea in the world." Marijuana has been safely used by humans for millennia. Marijuana prohibition is the new idea.

The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Prior to the federal Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 (sic), marijuana use was limited to border migrant communities and black jazz musicians in New Orleans. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages in dark-skinned minorities have been counterproductive at best.

White Americans did not start smoking marijuana until after our federal government began funding reefer madness propaganda.

The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign.

Robert Sharpe
Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C.

Souki betrays trust in attacking Kondo

It’s probably the first time in government history that an employee has been chastised for doing his job too well ("Kondo keeps his job as enforcer of code," Star-Advertiser, June 11).

House Speaker Joe Souki, in speaking for all representatives, implies thatthe House is a bunch of hypocrites.In his letter he implies that he condones, nay demands, that Kondo accept the fact that bribery is the acceptable way of life in his domain and that Kondo accept this fact or he is out.

And so politics continues to be a filthy business, and that anyone or anybody who attempts to clean up corruption will soon find himself or herself in the unemployment line.

James Robinson
Aiea

Don’t stop people from beach parking

Why all this fuss about using the word "aloha"? Many of us don’t act with aloha.

Preventing parking in front of houses by placing rocks and plants just causescars to drive in circles looking to park.Aren’t these areas public property? Why not show some aloha and let these people park? Is grass more precious than people?

It is difficult for many families to live on Oahu. After a hard work week,it’s a treat to take the family for a relaxing day at the beach — if you can find a place to park.When Dr. Beach named Waimanalo the best beach,visitors have almost tripled, and parking is harder to find for both locals and tourists.

Preventing cars from parkingis not going to stop the hordes. It just says, "No Aloha Here."

Jody Green
Waimanalo