David Isei — Articles Long-form essays on Hawaiʻi healthcare policy, workforce, and structural reform. https://davidisei.com/articles 2026-05-27T00:00:00.000Z David Isei Geography Is Not a Billing Code https://davidisei.com/articles/geography-not-billing-code 2026-05-27T00:00:00.000Z 2026-05-27T00:00:00.000Z Neighbor-island patients pay more for the same care than Oʻahu residents with identical insurance. It is pricing design, not geography. David Isei You Are 644 Doctors Short. The Number Is Getting Worse. https://davidisei.com/articles/644-doctors-short 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z Hawaiʻi has 12,688 licensed physicians but only 3,044 practicing FTE — a 644-physician shortfall driven by retention, not recruitment. David Isei The Directory Is Lying to You https://davidisei.com/articles/directory-is-lying 2026-05-25T00:00:00.000Z 2026-05-25T00:00:00.000Z What ghost networks actually cost Hawaiʻi patients and why no one is held accountable. David Isei The 776-Physician Gap https://davidisei.com/articles/776-physician-gap 2026-04-19T00:00:00.000Z 2026-04-19T00:00:00.000Z Why Hawaiʻi's doctor shortage is a federal math problem — and what a state-of-the-union fix actually requires. David Isei The Hidden Tax on Hawaiʻi Medicine https://davidisei.com/articles/hidden-tax-hawaii-medicine 2026-04-12T00:00:00.000Z 2026-04-12T00:00:00.000Z How the GET on medical services quietly drains primary care capacity statewide — and the structural reform on the table. David Isei Network Adequacy Theater https://davidisei.com/articles/network-adequacy-theater 2026-04-05T00:00:00.000Z 2026-04-05T00:00:00.000Z Hawaiʻi's network adequacy rules are paperwork, not access. Here's what the data actually shows. David Isei The Neighbor-Island Surcharge https://davidisei.com/articles/neighbor-island-surcharge 2026-03-28T00:00:00.000Z 2026-03-28T00:00:00.000Z Geography is not a billing code. The hidden cost of treating Hawaiʻi like a single county. David Isei The $2.3 Billion Question https://davidisei.com/articles/2-3-billion-question 2026-03-21T00:00:00.000Z 2026-03-21T00:00:00.000Z Where the money already goes — and why the system keeps starving the front line. David Isei Merger Math https://davidisei.com/articles/merger-math 2026-03-14T00:00:00.000Z 2026-03-14T00:00:00.000Z The arithmetic behind the latest health-system consolidation and what it means for patients across the islands. David Isei