Latest news with #UHERO
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barriers to physical, mental health care persist in Hawaii, survey finds
Three years since surveys began, the University of Hawaii has found that the state's numerous health care challenges continue to grow, especially for those living in poverty. The latest University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization Public Health Report found there to still be a high mental health burden, particularly among young adults, continued barriers to health care, and persistent struggles obtaining food. While each category result tells its own story, according to UHERO research economist Daniela Bond-Smith, the findings together 'show a system under pressure.' Some key findings from the report :—Overall health status : A lower number of adults, 40 %, rated their health as excellent or very good in December, down from 44 % in June 2023. Among Native Hawaiian /Pacific Islanders, excellent /good ratings dropped to 23 %, compared with 40 %, in just 18 months.—Mental health burden : Among those surveyed, 31 % reported symptoms of depression, and 4 % reported symptoms of severe depression. Rates were highest among those ages 18 to 34, and NHPI, Filipino and low-income groups. Of low-income respondents, 10 % reported severe depressive symptoms.—Barriers to mental health care : A higher proportion of adults reported missing needed mental health care—22 % in 2024 compared with 5 % in 2023. The rising trend was consistent across all racial and income groups.—Food insecurity continued : Nearly 30 % of adults reported low or very low food security, or having enough food to meet basic nutritional needs. Rates are higher among NHPI, Filipino and low-income groups.—Barriers to health care : Many reported barriers to physical health care, with 79 % citing the lack of providers available and 49 % citing the cost. For mental health care, 69 % reported being unable to get therapy or counseling, 50 % were unable to access psychiatrists and 31 % were unable to get urgent mental care services. The UHERO Rapid Survey is a comprehensive, statewide health data monitoring project that follows a cohort of more than 2, 000 adult residents over time to help inform public policy. It was initially launched in 2022 to provide data during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and has since evolved into one of Hawaii's largest surveys tracking health equity. The first report, published in June 2022, focused on the health effects and views of COVID-19 in Hawaii, while the second one, in January 2023, focused on long COVID and on employment and economic security. A third report in July 2023 examined access to food and stable housing as core determinants of health. The fourth report, examines mental health, access to health care and food security among various age and ethnic groups. There is some lag time, as the fourth report, published May 21, reflects data collected between March and December 2024. For self-reported health status, UHERO found significant disparities across ethnic groups, with NHPIs and Filipinos reporting higher rates of poor and fair health compared with their white and other Asian counterparts. Primary barriers to getting physical health care include the unavailability or limited hours of appointments, high out-of-pocket costs and insurance coverage. Those below the poverty line had a harder time getting dental care due to out-of-pocket costs without insurance. For some the barriers were transportation-related—the provider was either too far away or there were not enough suitable ways to travel to the appointment. Difficulty accessing specialist services, in particular, were reported by 61 % of respondents, up from 37 % in 2023. 'The UHERO Rapid Health Survey reveals widening disparities in health, access to care, and basic needs like food and housing—particularly among Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, Hispanic, and low-income communities, ' said the authors in the report. 'These inequities are not isolated ; they stem from systemic barriers that demand coordinated, equity-driven action.' They continued, 'Addressing them requires targeted investments in community-based mental health services, culturally competent healthcare providers, and expanded access to both primary and dental care—especially in underserved rural and outer islands.' But the state must also tackle the structural roots of health disparities by investing in affordable housing, strengthening local food systems and creating pathways to stable employment UHERO's findings are available online via an interactive. Health declines and disparities—There was a decline in those rating their overall health as excellent /very good (40 % in December versus 44 % in June 2023 ).—Participants across all racial groups reported an increase in delayed or forgone physical health care in the past year and a half, but substantially higher rates were reported among poverty /ALICE status respondents. Hispanics, Blacks and Native Americans reported the highest level and largest increase in health care access issues.—Access to specialists generally worsened over the past 1-1 /2 years for all age groups, ranging between 60 % for people age 18-34 and 69 % for people ages 65 and over.—Over the past 2-1 /2 years, nearly 1 in 3 adults in Hawaii have reported symptoms of depression. In December, 27 % of respondents reported depressive symptoms, while 4 % reported highly depressive symptoms. Rates were highest among ages 18-34, Native Hawaiian /Pacific Islander, Filipino and low-income groups.—Nearly 30 % of adults reported low /very low food security in 2024. NHPI, Filipino, Hispanic, Black and Native American respondents reported higher-than-average rates of food insecurity. Source : University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization
Travel Weekly
27-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Mild recession in the forecast for Hawaii
Christine Hitt The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) has released its latest forecast, and the economic outlook is grim. 'The Hawaii outlook has deteriorated since the time of our last report,' the report states. 'This is primarily due to actual and threatened U.S. tariff hikes that are much larger than anticipated, as well as adverse effects on increased federal policy uncertainty around trade, immigration, spending and tax cuts, and other areas.' UHERO believes the local economy will fall into a mild recession by the end of the year. In a video discussing the report's findings, UHERO assistant professor Steven Bond-Smith said, 'GDP growth will slow in both the U.S. and Hawaii, but with Hawaii's already slow growth rate, the slowdown tips us into a recession.' Bond-Smith goes on to say tourism is among the sectors under stress as 'uncertainty remains elevated.' According to the report, 'the most damaging effect on Hawaii of President Trump's aggressive tariff policies may well be to the visitor industry. This will be felt through several channels: the adverse impact of high tariffs on major source country economies, the discouraging effects of uncertain international visitor regulations and enforcement and avoidance by travelers who are upset by these and other administration policies.' So far this year, the Japan market is still sluggish. Canadian visitors to the U.S. have dropped significantly. With that said, Hawaii started the year positively, with the statewide visitor census up 2% in the first two months of the year compared to last year. However, UHERO calls this the 'calm before the storm,' and it has reduced its tourism outlook for 2025-2026 significantly. 'We now expect arrivals to fall 4% over the next two years, a drop of 400,000 visitors,' the report said. 'Over 2025-2027 the pace of decline will be the biggest on the international front, with Japanese arrivals falling by more than 6% this year, before stabilizing in 2026. … U.S. arrivals will decline 3% by 2026, with downside risk should a recession develop. Total visitor arrivals will not reclaim their 2024 level until 2028.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii home affordability worsens despite condo price drop
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Buying and renting homes in Hawaii continues to be a challenge for most residents, according to the latest Housing Factbook released by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO). Police searching for suspects in armed home invasion in Nuuanu Economists say fewer than 25% of households earn enough to afford a single-family home in the state, underscoring ongoing concerns about housing condominium prices have dipped slightly, experts warn that the overall outlook remains troubling. 'The bad news hidden within that good news is part of that is this mortgage-era home insurance crisis,' said UHERO economist Justin Tyndall. 'The pullback of insurers unwilling to provide insurance to condos means a lot of people can't qualify for a mortgage, which has zapped some demand and is partially why prices have gone down.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Meanwhile, UHERO reports that rents continue to rise across the state, though at a slower pace than in previous years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mild recession forecast for Hawaii economy
University of Hawaii economists expect the state economy to begin gradually contracting later this year due to federal policy impacts hurting tourism, employment and personal income. The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization forecasts a mild state recession to occur before the end of 2025 and stretch into 2026, according to a report released publicly today. UHERO's report said global tariffs being imposed by President Donald Trump will have knock-on effects that depress U.S. and international tourism to Hawaii while federal spending and job cuts in the state also ding the local economy. 'Hawaii's economic outlook has taken a decisive turn for the worse, as expansive federal policy shifts look poised to tip the local economy into a mild recession, ' the report said. The report also warned that the anticipated economic decline in Hawaii could be worse. 'Risks remain exceptionally large : sustained tariffs, delayed policy reversals, and global backlash to U.S. actions could deepen the downturn, ' UHERO said in its forecast. A month before Trump took office in January, UHERO had forecast that Hawaii's economy, after accounting for inflation, would grow by 2.9 % this year and then 2.5 % in 2026. The new report revised those figures to 1.1 % growth this year followed by a 0.3 % decline in 2026. A 0.3 % dip represents a loss of $313 million in produced goods and services after accounting for inflation in Hawaii's estimated $117 billion economy. UHERO also forecasts that the number of people with jobs statewide will fall by 5, 100 in 2026, representing a 0.8 % decline that boosts Hawaii's unemployment rate to 3.6 % in 2026 from a projected 3.1 % this year. For the first three months of this year, the unemployment rate has been a hair under 3 %. Personal income is expected to dip 0.2 % in 2026 after accounting for inflation, representing a loss of about $177 million in household earnings. If Hawaii's economy shrinks in 2026, it would be the second annual decline in six years but much lighter than the crushing 10.4 % downturn in 2020 brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the expected coming loss in the economy is attributed to what had already been a weakening in tourism before dramatic changes in federal policy were announced. UHERO said impacts from new federal policies should further hurt the biggest driver in the local economy. The report forecasts that the number of visitors arriving by plane will decline by 2.2 % this year to 9.47 million, and then by 1.9 % in 2026 to 9.29 million. 'Although not everyone is employed in tourism, tourism flows throughout our economy, through secondary and flow-through effects, ' Steven Bond-Smith, one of several UHERO economists who contributed to the report, said Thursday during a news conference. 'So people are affected by that slowdown in tourism even if they're not directly employed in the tourism sector.' Bond-Smith also said negative impacts on the local economy are coming from federal spending and job cuts locally. 'So that creates some slowing in the economy as well, ' he said. Peter Fuleky, another UHERO economist and report author, added that businesses and consumers in Hawaii face uncertainties that can lead to them pulling back on spending, contributing to a broad economic downturn. 'So the reaction typically to uncertainty is caution, ' he said. 'Caution means retrenchment of consumption … and that has macroeconomic effects for everyone, right ?' UHERO's forecast anticipates the federal government backing off from extremely high tariffs Trump announced for many countries April 2 and then delayed for 90 days while leaving in place a 10 % tariff on imports from countries except for China, where a 145 % tariff exists. Fuleky said that even the 10 % tariff rate globally represents a significant increase that will be a drag on the U.S. economy and produce negative impacts on Hawaii's economy. One bright spot noted in the forecast is the strength of the local construction industry. Some materials are expected to cost more because of tariffs, but Justin Tyndall, another UHERO economist and report author, said he does not expect any freezes on big projects that include Pearl Harbor shipyard improvements, state government work and housing towers. 'I think generally the construction outlook looks pretty stable and unaffected by federal policy, ' he said. 'In the longer term if we do enter a sustained economic downturn, inevitably there'll be cutbacks everywhere, potentially including (construction ).' UHERO's report forecasts that Hawaii's economy will rebound in 2027 with 0.9 % growth.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How will federal cuts impact Hawaii's economy: UHERO
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The latest actions by the Trump Administration could negatively impact Hawaii's economic growth, according to UHERO's first quarter forecast for 2025. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news UHERO forecasts tariffs, mass deportations, and spending cuts could result in the loss of more than 2,000 local jobs, placing Hawaii's economy at risk of recession. The administration's temporary halt to all contracting, which the courts have stalled for now, would be damaging to the University of Hawaii and many charitable agencies. Hawaii Gov. Green meets with Trump in D.C. Officials added that cuts to federal programs and grants could also impact state funding. 'The risks are real. Everybody's going to be in adjustment mode just because of the uncertainty. So you could have non-profits and contractors putting hiring freezes in place right now because they don't know what their budget situation is going to be,' said Carl Bonham, UHERO Executive Director. UHERO experts said federal tax cuts could benefit the U.S. in 2025 but a weakening economy could raise prices and force a modest pullback in 2026 to 2027. 'The Japanese market recovery will advance only very slowly. The recovery of international markets will continue, although there is a risk that deteriorating global relations could hurt.' Overall economic growth in Hawaiʻi will feel the adverse effects of federal policies over the next several years, pulling job growth to zero and real GDP growth down to 1.6% this year. More extensive federal layoffs, tariffs or deportations could well result in a Hawaiʻi recession and undermine long-term growth prospects. UHERO Report Check out more news from around Hawaii The one bright spot is strong construction activity from public and private sector projects, including Maui's rebuild. It will result in a peak of nearly 41,000 construction workers in 2026, but tariffs on materials and potential labor shortages remain a concern. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
