Joint letter sent to Senate Finance Committee June 6, 2009
Governor Felix P. Camacho last week, along with other territorial governors, sent a letter urging support for pending health care reform legislation currently before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The letter was also signed by the governors of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.
In the letter to Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Charles Grassley, the four governors asked for parity of treatment with the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and fairer apportionment of federal health care funds for the territories to develop health care programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP).
“These programs are vital to ensuring that the people of Guam have the opportunity to receive the quality health care they need,” said Governor Camacho. “I am hopeful that with the passage of this legislation, Guam, along with the other territories, will receive the same access to federal health care benefits that is afforded to all Americans.”
The letter stated that certain health care programs in the territories are disadvantaged by the cap on Medicaid funds and the matching requirements of the Federal Matching Assistance Percentages (FMAP) program. The letter further stated that the elimination of the cap and the current FMAP rate is essential to the development of Medicaid programs in the territories.
