Del. Sablan: $360 Million Medicaid Fix Advances

WASHINGTON, July 22 -- Del. Gregorio Sablan, D-Northern Mariana Islands, issued the following information:

$360 million for the Marianas Medicaid program and significant improvements in the local match requirement moved out of the Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday.

The Committee bundled the Territories Health Care Improvement Act with the six-year funding increase together with a four-year extension of funding for community health centers, such as the Kagman Community Health Center.

Also in the package is the No Surprises Act, which protects patients who unknowingly receive expensive care from doctors not in the patient's insurance network. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) said he was "particularly proud of the Committee's work to reauthorize funding for Community Health Centers and to provide long-term Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Territories." Pallone also looked forward to a vote of the full House soon.

For the Marianas, the Health Care Improvement Act will provide $60 million each year for 6 years for the low-income Medicaid health insurance program. Currently, the Marianas gets a fixed block grant, $6.7 million in fiscal 2019. This is a nine-fold increase, better than any other area receives in the Act.