Half of uninsured in state can get Medicaid

A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that half of Hawaii’s uninsured population is eligible for Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income residents.

The report pegs the state’s uninsured at 70,000 and says that roughly 11 percent qualify for federal tax credits to lower the cost of medical coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Open enrollment for Obamacare coverage begins Nov. 1. Individuals who purchased coverage this year through the Hawaii Health Connector, the state’s troubled health insurance exchange, which is ending operations, must re-enroll for 2016 through the federal website, healthcare.gov.

Twitter to cut more than 300 jobs

SAN FRANCISCO >> Jack Dorsey has been permanent chief executive of Twitter for slightly more than a week. He already has decided that to grow, the company needs to shrink.

Twitter announced Tuesday that it was laying off as many as 336 employees, or 8 percent of its workforce, to streamline and refocus as it tries to find ways to attract new users to its social network.

“We are moving forward with a restructuring of our workforce so we can put our company on a stronger path to grow,” Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter, wrote in an email to employees. “We feel strongly that Engineering will move much faster with a smaller and nimbler team, while remaining the biggest percentage of our workforce. And the rest of the organization will be streamlined in parallel.”

The cuts were among the first major moves by Dorsey since he was named chief executive.

“Cutting 8 percent of your workforce is a little jarring,” said Mark Mahaney, an Internet analyst at RBC Capital Markets. “You don’t normally see job cuts at this early stage for growth companies unless there is something materially going wrong with the operations or the strategy.”

Twitter’s growth team, which has been responsible for various efforts to attract new users, has been a particular target of recent revamping efforts, according to current and former employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

ON THE MOVE

The Assets Center for Learning-Maui has opened in Kahului. The center is a program of Assets School, established in 1955, to serve the needs of students who learn differently. Currently, the program offers informal assessments, parent support groups and academic remediation, and will soon offer teacher education. Assets Center for Learning-Maui is a “one-stop shop” where there are various workshops, including educational testing, school counseling, social skills training, speech and language therapy, and parent workshops. Financial assistance is readily available for children who come from low-income families.

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Pohai Nani will present a $500 check to Avis Jervis, founder of Hale Ola, Kailua’s shelter for battered women and children, today at 10:30 a.m. in the Ruth Orcutt Bacon Auditorium on the Pohai Nani Campus. The Rev. Al Miles will also make a presentation on recognizing the signs of domestic violence.