On the heels of the Christmas Eve Senate health care vote, Gov. John deJongh Jr. and his fellow governors from Guam and Puerto Rico jointly wrote Congress and the White House, urging support for House language more favorable to territorial citizens.
The three governors—deJongh, Guam’s Felix Camacho and Puerto Rico’s Luis Fortuño—signed separate letters to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, each hitting the same argument that the Senate language leaves the territories high and dry, while the terms of the House bill support further Medicaid funding for the territories while providing near-equal treatment for both territorial and mainland residents.
The House bill provides $10.35 billion over nine years to the U.S. territories to expand severely restricted Medicaid programs. The House bill also provides $4 billion for the territories to help uninsured residents—specifically, those earning above Medicaid income thresholds but less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level—buy private insurance on new health insurance exchanges.
"While together these provisions still do not guarantee equal treatment with the states," the governors wrote, "they will provide an important pathway to parity in the long term, as well as essential funding for immediately needed improvements in our underfunded healthcare systems."
In contrast, the Senate bill does not allow territorial residents to participate in the insurance exchanges and makes only modest improvements in the current Medicaid programs for the territories.
Adopting the Senate language would put a greater burden on territorial budgets and leave their residents at a disadvantage compared to the mainland, they wrote.
“We strongly urge your support for the provisions in the House bill relating to Medicaid funding for the territories and the eligibility of our citizens to participate in the health insurance exchanges,” they wrote.
In a statement from Government House, deJongh also said he would work with Delegate Donna Christensen and the other territorial governors toward achieving parity for the territories.
House and Senate health care committee negotiations are expected to conclude before the end of January.
