In just over three months, the CNMI Medicaid Office already used up its $31 million additional supplemental federal appropriations, according to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.<\/p>\n
In a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)\u2014chairman and ranking member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance respectively\u2014Torres stated his support for H.R. 2328, which would reauthorize and extend the America\u2019s Community Health Act, or REACH Act, emphasizing the CNMI\u2019s need for Medicaid support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout this legislation, the Marianas and other U.S. insular areas face a fiscal cliff, as supplemental Medicaid funding provided for us in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [or Obamacare] is exhausted,\u201d he wrote the senators.<\/p>\n
The REACH Act raises the annual block grant for the Marianas from $6.95 million to $60 million and results in a Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage reportedly \u201ccomparable\u201d to the U.S. state with the lowest per-capita income.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The REACH Act] would fund the Medicaid program in the CNMI for another six years,\u201d Torres wrote. \u201c\u2026While these are significant changes, they are not out of line with our need.\u201d <\/p>\n
CNMI Medicaid through the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019, or H.R. 2157, was enacted in early June 2019. The legislation provided $36 million in additional Medicaid funding for the CNMI.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn just over three months\u2019 time, $31 million of that money has been expended,\u201d Torres said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe REACH Act also extends community health centers, the special diabetes program, and family to family health information centers for four years. The Marianas participates in all these programs and they contribute significantly to the health of our people,\u201d Torres wrote to the senators.<\/p>\n
While the REACH Act extends several programs the CNMI participates in, Torres also pointed out that two other programs funded by the REACH Act does not include the CNMI. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs written, the Marianas would not be eligible for the Disproportionate Share Hospital Program and the All-Payer Claims Database Program unless \u2018territories\u2019 is included in the definition of the state,\u201d Torres wrote. \u201cInclusion in both programs would have significant positive impacts on our healthcare system, especially with cost containment and quality improvement, a major benefit of the All-Payer Claims Database Program.\u201d <\/p>\n
He emphasized that the CNMI being a remote Pacific territory, there is only one hospital serving a \u201cdisproportionate number of low-income patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2018, our hospital recorded more than $11 million in gross revenue, yet closed the year with a $7-million deficit due to uncompensated care,\u201d Torres wrote.<\/p>\n
In a separate letter dated Sept. 12, 2019, Torres joined governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico for a fairer Medicaid reimbursement compared to the U.S. states.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Congress does not act before Sept. 30, 2019\u2026our enrollees may lose their Medicaid coverage and access to compensated care aimed at treating life-threatening disease and conditions and preventing needless deaths,\u201d the letter noted. \u201cIt is our hope that Congress will work with the U.S. territories to reverse course and resolve the Medicaid funding cliff. Failure to do so will constitute a man-made disaster and a blot on the human rights record of the United States,\u201d the letter continued.<\/p>\n
All five territory governors signed the letter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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