More than 200 kupuna sporting orange T-shirts rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday to protect senior programs in a “March for Meals,” as legislators weighed how to respond to a federal health care bill that could hike costs for the needy.

The seniors stood in the hot sun, attracting honks of support from passing motorists as they held signs saying “End senior hunger” and “Honk for kupuna.” The march, sponsored by Lanakila Pacific, was aimed at preserving and enhancing funding for programs that support seniors, including Meals on Wheels.

Marian Tsuji, president and CEO of Lanakila Pacific, a nonprofit that advocates for seniors and the disabled, said such funding is crucial, as is affordable health insurance coverage, which was the topic of a state Senate hearing held at the same time as the rally.

“One in 6 seniors across the country struggle with hunger,” Tsuji said. “It becomes a choice of, Do you pay for your medications or your food? You start skimping on food, which impacts your meds. … And then taxpayers end up in the long run paying more for health care because then it’s the emergency room visits.”

The March for Meals drew support from various legislators, who took turns at the microphone. The governor and mayor also sent over proclamations, and first lady Dawn Amano-Ige commended the seniors for standing up for their needs.

The Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health Committee held a hearing on House Bill 552, HD 1, which would ensure that certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act remain in effect on the state level, whatever happens in Washington. They include a mandate for taxpayers to maintain health insurance coverage with defined essential benefits, and coverage for dependents until age 26 and for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

The committee, with Sen. Roz Baker (D, West Maui-South Maui) as chairwoman, deferred the bill until March 22 to continue working on its provisions.

The bill’s author, Rep. Della Au Belatti (D, Moiliili-­Makiki-Tantalus), expects the legislation to evolve with the situation in Congress.

“It will likely morph over time because we are trying to respond to policy proposals coming out of Washington, D.C.,” Belatti said. “We are deeply concerned.”

“It’s a complicated process,” she added. “We have to see what protections the federal government retains; we need to look at the tax credit system that they are suggesting. Then we have to come up with the right policy tools.”

The Hawaii legislation is a response to the American Health Care Act, proposed by Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office projects that 14 million people will lose insurance next year if the new bill passes.

The office projects 24 million people would lose coverage by 2026 because of higher premiums and caps on Medicaid spending.

On Tuesday the national AARP, which advocates for seniors, decried the federal bill. It said the proposal would hike insurance costs for those who can least afford it, threaten Medicaid funding and give tax breaks to drug and health insurance companies.

Locally, AARP Hawaii State Director Barbara Kim Stanton said the legislation would hit Americans age 50 to 64 hardest with sharply increased premiums. A 64-year-old with $25,000 in income could see health care premiums rise by $7,000 a year, she said.

“This bill will hike costs for those who can least afford them, and erode seniors’ ability to live independently, and also threaten services like Kupuna Care and Meals on Wheels,” she said. “This is a very scary, dangerous situation for our seniors and their families.”

Republican Rep. Gene Ward (R, Kalama Valley-­Queen’s Gate-Hawaii Kai) joined the kupuna in their sign-waving effort to “End senior hunger” but said it is too early to judge the health care bill now making its way through Congress, and added that he isn’t satisfied with the Congressional Budget Office analysis.

“I want a second opinion,” he said. “If somebody tells you that you’ve got cancer, you better get a second opinion.

“Everything this administration has done has been reacted with, ‘The sky is falling. We are all going to die.’ The sky is not going to fall. We don’t have to worry that much about it. But we should be concerned. We should look for details. Every piece of legislation, the devil is in the details.”