Inside HSCA examines new members of the 114th Congress who have a background in healthcare or who could have an impact on the supply chain.
Lt. Col. Mark Takai is a member of the Army National Guard, former member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, and the next U.S. Representative for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District. Takai has a deep healthcare background in both the public and private sectors.
Currently a Preventive Medical Officer with the Hawaii National Guard, Takai has previously served as the Hawaii Army National Guard Deputy State Surgeon and as a public educator for the state’s Department of Health. Takai also owns and operates Pacific First Health Solutions, a health insurance brokerage firm.
Healthcare featured prominently in Takai’s congressional campaign. On the trail, Takai continually stressed the need to improve access to care, reduce costs for Hawaiians and protect Medicare beneficiaries. Takai supports the Affordable Care Act, but also notes he will consider any “changes to the law that will provide better access to affordable health care.”
Takai won the seat in a close contest against Republican Charles Djou and will replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
Takai is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a 20-year member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, and he aims to make bipartisanship a staple of his first term in order to get “things done for middle-class families” and to “bring an end to the extreme rhetoric and partisanship that is dominating Washington.”
Takai earned a B.A. in political science and a master degree in public health from the University of Hawaii, where he was also a standout swimmer. He lives near Honolulu with his wife and two children.
For more background information on Representative-elect Mark Takai, visit his campaign website here.