NMIRF: GHLIP near collapse

The NMI Retirement Fund has stopped hoping the Legislature would make true to its promise of funding assistance for the Group Health and Life Insurance before the program breaks down.

Fund officials expressed dismay over the seeming inability of legislators to decide and identify possible funding sources to bail out the program from its financial distress.

Legislators are keen to resolve the problem but allocating funding assistance is another, Fund Board Chair Vicente Camacho said in an interview.

He said GHLIP is near collapse and an infusion of additional funds is necessary to keep the program going and assist subscribers needing medical and other health-related services.

Since there is no apparent help coming from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Mr. Camacho said the NMIRF will resolve the problem on its own as available options are now being considered.

“We have one good option and that’s how we are going to finance the program. We don’t rely anymore to the Legislature. They (legislators) want to resolve the problem buy they won’t give us money,” lamented the board chair.

Presently, GHLI is reviewing its medical bills and paid services to determine which of these charges were doubly charged to the Commonwealth Health Center.

The branch will carefully scrutinize services rendered and payments made by the group health to on- and off-island medical referrals since accumulated medical charges continue to show up.

Earlier, Mr. Camacho disclosed that the agency will do its best to save the program from possible disintegration by looking into other possible supplemental budgets.

Fund officials are exploring other alternatives to resolve its financial problems. The agency is also looking at other possible means to increase its revenue.

GHLIP disclosed that since the inception of its Trust Fund, the resources of the program have not been adequate to pay all medical claims of GHLI subscribers.

In fact, the Trust Fund accounting division could not disburse payments to vendors due to continued funding shortfall.

The GHLIP based on the recent itemized cost breakdown released, is in need of over $4 million funding assistance from the Legislature to settle medical bills to more than 295 off- and on-island health service providers. (EGA)