Despite employer-paid healthcare, Hawaii has its coverage gaps, too

“If it weren’t for that law, medical benefits are one area we would look to cut because of this recession,’’ said Debi Halcro, president of Valenti Print Group, publisher of brochures to coffee table books.

“It hurts the business. You can’t pass it on to customers in this economy.’’

Like many Hawaii bosses, Halcro is careful to limit the hours of her three part-time employees so she doesn’t have to pay for their health insurance. In all, the company has 43 workers.

Similar loopholes could be exploited under vague language in legislation pending before Congress. The House bill doesn’t clarify who is a full-time employee, and the Senate measure fully covers only employees working at least 35 hours a week.

“An employer mandate is not an effective means for achieving universal coverage,’’ according to an analysis published by the Federal Reserve Bank last month. “Although overall insurance coverage rates are unusually high in Hawaii, a substantial number of people remain uninsured, suggesting a need for alternative approaches if universal coverage is the ultimate goal.’’

Since Democrat-controlled Hawaii passed its employer health insurance mandate, it has consistently had one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the nation, at about 8 percent in 2007, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation. A federal survey showed Massachusetts had even fewer uninsured, at about 3 percent. The national average is 15 percent.

Massachusetts approved a broad healthcare reform measure in 2006 that requires near-universal coverage and penalizes individuals who refuse to get coverage. Massachusetts is also different from Hawaii in that it has had some of the highest health costs in the country, while Hawaii has the lowest.

Because Hawaii’s law covers only those who work more than 20 hours per week, some companies have changed their hiring practices so they can save money.