[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 25, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H4377-H4378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PUERTO RICO MEDICAID BUDGET AGREEMENT NOT HONORED IN RECONCILIATION

  (Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Mr. Speaker, for the last three decades, the U.S. 
citizens of Puerto Rico have been excluded from participating in the 
Federal Medicaid Program at the same level of benefits as their fellow 
citizens in the 50 States.
  The Medicaid block grant for Puerto Rico is currently capped at only 
$133 million and, as a result, the Puerto Rico Department of Health has 
to provide in excess of $700 million annually in local funding to take 
care of this island's medically indigent population.
  Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have actively fought for 
increased participation by Puerto Rico in Medicaid. I find it 
unconscionable that the Federal Government would uphold a policy where 
the health and lives of the people of Puerto Rico are considered to be 
of less value than the lives of other citizens. And we are talking 
about citizens, not immigrants or legal residents.
  In this spring's balanced budget negotiations, the congressional 
leadership and the administration agreed to increase Puerto Rico's 
Medicaid block

[[Page H4378]]

grant by $30 million in fiscal year 1998 and by an additional $10 
million annually through the year 2002.
  I am appalled by the fact that this agreement between the White House 
and the Republican leadership has not been honored in the budget act 
that we will consider today. I would hope that the commitment made by 
the congressional leadership with the White House is honored, as all 
commitments should be.

                          ____________________