Gov Guam Employees, Retirees Deserve Options

HAGATNA, Guam, Sept. 18 - The office of the Governor of Guam issued the following news release:

The Speaker co-sponsored a bill in 2012 that gives GovGuam employees, retirees, and their families a CHOICE. Now, he wants to retract his decision. Does the Speaker believe in quality health care for the people of Guam or not?

FACTS:

FACT: Speaker Cruz voted to support choice, and now he's flip-flopping and pushing "cheap" onto GovGuam employees.

FACT: Speaker Cruz continues to press for the cheapest health insurance plan for thousands of Government of Guam employees, retirees, and their families.

FACT: Had the Administration chosen the cheapest health insurance option for GovGuam this fiscal year - as the Speaker suggests - thousands of GovGuam employees, retirees, and their families would have lost access to their current primary health care doctors and health care facilities, then our GovGuam employees, retirees, and their families would be unable to go to SDA and GRMC. Any costs incurred with the providers would be "out of pocket" expenses of the patient. This would have put their lives and finances in jeopardy.

FACT: The Administration continues to provide Government of Guam employees, retirees and their families with quality health insurance that provides them the greatest access to doctors and health care facilities.

CONCLUSION:

The Speaker needs to stop diverting attention from the real issue - his budget. He has severely cut public safety agencies from hiring more officers, exposed the Department of Corrections to federal receivership, and cut back on marketing dollars for GVB at a time when North Korean threats are impacting our island's number one industry. If the Speaker wants to provide cheap healthcare insurance for GovGuam employees and retirees, he should pass another bill indicating he changed his mind on this issue again.