By TELEMUNDO PR
The Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi Pierluisi traveled Tuesday to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. to continue advocating for equal treatment for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program. The governor will participate this week in multiple meetings in Congress in preparation for September 30, 2021, the deadline for both the House and Senate to provide an allocation of funds for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program and avoid the "fiscal cliff.
Last week, the President sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to permanently correct the unequal treatment Puerto Rico receives in the federal contribution to the island's Medicaid program.
The letter stresses that, although Congress limited the allocation of funds to the program and the matching rate it receives from the federal government, for the past decade it has provided temporary increases above the established allocations due to the clear insufficiency of funds to cover Puerto Rico's medical needs.
In the letter, Pierluisi insists that Puerto Rico's healthcare program is underfunded when compared to smaller states with higher per capita incomes. The letter adds that this has contributed to the prevalence of chronic diseases and the lack of medical infrastructure in Puerto Rico.
"I urge Congressional leaders to craft a permanent solution that corrects the disparities in Puerto Rico's Medicaid program and provides the same access to health care that exists across our nation. Puerto Rico deserves to have state-like treatment in the Island's Medicaid program, and anything less than that represents discrimination against our Island's most vulnerable citizens simply because of their geographic location. We need a long-term solution to this problem," stated the Governor.
The executive warned that failure to allocate funds to the Medicaid program could result in the disenrollment of hundreds of thousands of current Medicaid beneficiaries. In addition, it could lead to reductions in benefits, interruptions in funding for the hepatitis C program, cuts in other health programs and reduced payments to providers, which will increase the drain of physicians and beneficiaries and continue to weaken the already fragile health care system in Puerto Rico.