Hawaii Pacific Health

Primary care access in Hawaii depends a lot on which island you are on.

Oahu has the largest concentration of physicians in the state, with Honolulu supporting a genuinely competitive primary care market. The story is different on neighbor islands. Maui is better than it used to be but still short on specialists. Kauai and the Big Island are more limited, with serious specialty care typically requiring a flight to Honolulu. Molokai and Lanai have almost no specialist access locally. Knowing that reality before you choose where to live is useful information. Hawaii has one of the most comprehensive employer health insurance mandates in the country. Employers are required to provide health coverage for employees working 20 or more hours per week. HMSA and Kaiser are the dominant insurers. For the uninsured or underinsured, federally qualified health centers operate across the islands on a sliding scale basis. Telehealth has helped fill some access gaps for specialist consultations that do not require in-person examination. The clinics and medical practices listed here serve patients across all islands and cover a range of specialties alongside primary care.