According to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, our state just took a big step toward resolving its longstanding doctor shortage with the adoption of Senate Bill 674.

Two prominent medical experts will explain why at a luncheon on Thursday, July 27, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is $10 and includes parking and lunch.

Joe Kent, institute executive vice president and former King Kamehameha III Elementary School teacher, will moderate, and there will be time for audience members to ask questions.

The luncheon will feature insight by Marschall Smith, executive director for the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, which is the national organization central to the new law; and Dr. Elizabeth Ann Ignacio, president-elect of the Hawaii Medical Association, who has long campaigned for tax and regulatory reform to help improve access to healthcare in Hawaii.

The institute explained, “The purpose of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact — which the new law allows Hawaii to join — is to enable doctors from member states to more easily practice across state lines, without having to deal with costly, time-consuming and redundant obstacles.

“For Hawaii, membership in the IMLC — which the Grassroot Institute championed — could go a long way toward alleviating its doctor shortage, currently estimated at nearly 800.”

In addition to discussing the compact for physicians, Smith will talk about the benefits Hawaii could receive from joining interstate compacts for other healthcare workers, such as nurses, emergency medical services personnel, psychologists and physical and speech therapists.

Ignacio will discuss other reforms Hawaii could adopt to improve its healthcare system, such as exempting medical services from the state’s general excise tax and removing many of the state’s cumbersome “certificate of need” laws.

To register, go to https://www.grassrootinstitute.org and click on Events. For more information, contact Sean Mitsui at (808) 864-1776 or info@grassrootinstitute.org.