2020s
- HMSA supports the community in times of need, particularly in response to the devastating Maui wildfires and COVID-19 pandemic.
- HMSA's Maui Wildfire Taskforce coordinated support for the Maui community through member outreach and care coordination as well as premium deferrals for affected employers.
- HMSA provided more than $175 million in COVID-19-related support and financial relief to members, employers, providers, and communities.
- Milestone anniversaries:
- HMSA commemorates 85 years of caring for our families, friends, and neighbors in 2023.
- The HMSA Centers in Hilo, Honolulu, and Pearl City turn 10 in 2023! HMSA also has centers in Kahului and Lihue.
- In 2024, HMSA's Online Care celebrates 15 years of providing members and anyone in Hawaii with access to virtual non-emergency care.
- In 2025, HMSA Kaimana Awards & Scholarship program reaches its 20th year of honoring outstanding high school seniors and schools with scholarships and awards.
- Working together and investing in the future:
- HMSA continues to support providers by advancing value-based care and payment models, reducing administrative burden, and launching a new mobile self-service tool and new provider portal, HHIN+.
- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management transitioned U.S. Postal Service members to a Postal Service Health Benefits Program. HMSA supports the program by providing health plan options to eligible post office employees, retirees, and their family members starting in 2025.
- HMSA introduces a new strategy, branded We Care, to invest in its employees and support the company's mission by focusing on its purpose, people, work, and total rewards.
- HMSA continues its journey as a health organization that works to improve member and community health, serving more than 770,000 members statewide.
2010s
- HMSA works to implement the Affordable Care Act and help employers, members, and providers understand the law’s complex provisions.
- New contracts with hospitals in HMSA’s network reward them for the quality, safety, and efficiency of the care they provide instead of traditional payment for the number of procedures performed.
- Technological advances include online health plan enrollment and administration, online prescription drug tools, the switch to paperless Report to Member statements, and HMSA’s first mobile app, HMSA’s Online Care®.
- New plans and programs:
- HMSA Medicare Advantage plans.
- Well-Being Connection, a comprehensive, integrated approach to health and well-being, offers support, online tools, and coaching to help members work with their doctor to stay on top of all aspects of their health.
- Health Care: Plain & Simple campaign helps people learn about health plans and health care in plain and simple language.
- HMSA implements the HMSA Payment Transformation Program, a new way of paying doctors. Instead of reimbursing doctors for every health service, HMSA pays them a monthly fee for their patients. The program was recognized in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- HMSA brings Blue Zones Project® to Hawaii to help make healthy choices easier in communities. The partnership resulted in seven approved communities and more than 350 approved organizations statewide.
2000s
- Uninsured children ages 31 days to 18 years old receive medical, dental, and drug benefits from the new HMO children’s plan.
- HMSA’s preferred provider organization plans and HMOs continue to earn the nation’s highest approval from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
- New plans and programs include:
- Expanded student plans for individuals, two people, and families.
- Lower-cost plans, CompMED and Catastrophic Care, for individuals and employer groups.
- Membership rises to 692,000.
1990s
- HMSA joins the Blue Cross Association, becoming Hawaii’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan.
- HMSA contracts with Med-QUEST, a state program with health benefits for people receiving Medicaid assistance.
- Membership grows to 600,000.
1980s
- HMSA’s Health Plan Hawaii earns the status of a federally qualified HMO after meeting government standards that benefit consumers.
- New plans and programs include:
- 65C Plus, the first federally approved Competitive Medical Plan in the U.S., qualifies to participate in Medicare.
- Flexible Spending Service.
- Dental Network HMO.
- Employee Retirement Income.
- Security Act (ERISA) Reporting Service is introduced to help employers comply with government regulations.
- Membership increases to 558,000.
1970s
- HMSA offers its first health maintenance organization plan, a cost-cutting plan in which one doctor manages a member’s health care needs.
- More than half of Hawaii’s population joins HMSA, totaling 500,000 members.
1960s
- HMSA creates affordable health plans for people who are unemployed, the elderly, and college students.
- Membership multiplies to 350,000.
1950s
- HMSA introduces the Major Medical Plan, which protect members from the high cost of serious illness or injury.
- Membership increases to 155,000.
1940s
- HMSA joins the national Blue Shield Association and opens offices on Kauai, the Big Island, and Maui.
- Membership grows to 30,000.
1930s
- Social workers establish the Hawaii Medical Service Association on Oahu in 1938.
- The not-for-profit organization serves 671 members.