By El Nuevo Día - Washington D.C. - U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra affirmed that Joe Biden' s administration is ready to implement a Medicaid allocation with "equitable" treatment for Puerto Rico.
"I was pleased to speak with the Governor about the progress being made in Puerto Rico to increase access to health care. Like President Biden, we at the Department of Health agree that Puerto Rico must be treated equitably. We are prepared to implement the president's vision and will continue to provide support," said Becerra, who served with Pierluisi in Congress when the governor was resident commissioner in Washington.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee this month approved legislation that would allocate nearly $15 billion from the Medicaid program to Puerto Rico over the next five years, which basically maintains the same level as the past two years and does not represent parity with the states.
Without a new appropriation, the Medicaid funds that Puerto Rico receives - which largely fund the Puerto Rican government's health plan that benefits 1.4 million people - would drop from $2.8 million annually to $392.5 million, which is what a permanent federal law allows.
Pierluisi indicated that the long-term solution for Puerto Rico should be parity, the concept that Biden has endorsed and would involve allocating about $5.2 billion annually.
"During our conversation, we discussed how providing state-like treatment in Puerto Rico's Medicaid program is essential to providing stability to the program and ensuring access to health care for U.S. citizens on the island. I appreciate the continued support of the Biden-Harris administration to ensure that our island receives equal treatment in all federal programs and look forward to working together to achieve this," Pierluisi said.