Hawai'i's per-person spending by adults on health care linked to disabilities was the 14th-highest in the U.S. in 2006, according to a study by RTI International and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers found that on average, about 27 percent of U.S. adult health care spending was for care linked to limitations resulting from a physical, mental or emotional problem. In Hawai'i, this worked out to $13,051 per person.

That was higher than the national average of $11,637. Washington, D.C., had the highest spending at $22,494. Nevada was the lowest at $7,833.

GEICO CELEBRATING 60 YEARS IN ISLANDS

GEICO will celebrate 60 years of doing business in Hawai'i at the end of this month.

The Maryland-based insurer wrote its first Hawai'i auto policy on Dec. 31, 1949, and opened its first office in Honolulu in 1980 with 10 associates.

GEICO now has 170 employees who serve nearly 130,000 Hawai'i households, according to a news release from the company,

As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated "A++" for financial strength by A.M. Best Co.

KAUA'I PICKS SEWAGE PLANT CONTRACTOR

Kaua'i County has selected Briant Construction, a subsidiary of Kaua'i- based Aqua Engineers, to upgrade and expand the Waimea Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The project will help the county "provide reliable, expanded wastewater service for Waimea to meet future wastewater treatment demands of the region," according to a news release from Aqua. The project also will create jobs for local contractors on Kaua'i.

Expected to take two years to complete, the rebuilt Waimea plant will use modern filtration systems and clean-energy technology such as photovoltaics for optimal service and cost efficiencies.

The plant's treatment capacity will more than double, to 700,000 gallons per day from 300,000 gallons per day, Aqua said

In addition, the expanded and upgraded plant will produce a higher quality effluent, which can be used for irrigation and which will reduce the county's reliance on other water sources.