It is encouraging to see how the pluralistic government has worked this year to improve conditions for Puerto Ricans through an increase in the minimum wage and legislation to make the extension of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, program to the island feasible.
But those two achievements should not breed complacency. The momentum must continue to move on an issue on which, so far, the Puerto Rican government has been negligent. That is President Joseph Biden's proposal to Congress to establish parity for Puerto Rico in entitlement programs, particularly Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
Jenniffer Gonzalez believes in pushing for Medicaid parity through budget reconciliation bill
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The White House launched the proposal in May and what have our elected officials done to advance it there, where it counts, in Congress?
It's really simple. If Puerto Rico does not defend parity for Puerto Rico, no one will defend it. Biden threw the possibility of a better future for the island's neediest into the ring, but without a fight, there will be no victory.
If the representatives, lobbyists or delegates that any sector of Puerto Rico may have in Washington DC are not, right now and as a priority, pushing that White House proposal, they are not working for Puerto Rico. And that includes the Fiscal Oversight Board, which during its five years has dedicated itself to cutting resources to the people of Puerto Rico and here it has the opportunity to add resources.
This is not to relegate it or condemn it to the morass of status discussions; it is for the union of the entire political spectrum in favor of brothers and sisters of flesh and blood. What is on the table is, according to the most recent figures from the federal government:
SSI: From some 34,000 disabled people receiving up to $64 a month under a limited version of this program, we could reach 350,000 receiving up to $733 a month, for an injection of up to $1.8 billion annually into the island's economy.
SNAP: Nutritional assistance could reach 1.1 million households that, instead of the $247 they receive now, would receive $286 per month. In total, about $700 million per year more than what is received now.
Medicaid: From less than $1 billion received, the annual amount could reach $2 billion, which would contribute to the benefit reaching up to 2 million people from around one million currently covered.
Our organization, U.S. Citizens For Equal Protection, is actively pursuing a federal lawsuit seeking parity in SNAP, SSI and the Medicare drug coverage portion of Medicare. We have already had a favorable decision from a judge, but, like other cases related to the extension of benefits to U.S. citizens in the territories, the process is on hold pending the conclusion of the US v. Vaello Madero case before the federal Supreme Court.
However, efforts to achieve parity through the Biden proposal in Congress are not subject to any judicial gridlock. What they are subject to is our being diligent and focused to achieve it.