[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 165 (Friday, October 18, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1304-E1305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SUPPORTING H.R. 2328, THE REAUTHORIZING AND EXTENDING AMERICA'S 
                          COMMUNITY HEALTH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 18, 2019

  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, now is the time to fix Medicaid funding, 
the insular areas. This is an area of strong bipartisan agreement--
Republicans and Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce committee 
agree, and something must be done.
   H.R. 2328 was reported out of Committee in July. This bipartisan 
solution would address the serious funding shortfall that all Insular 
Areas face now that the special Obamacare Medicaid funding has ended.
   Our hospital, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC), and 
other healthcare providers across the Marianas depend on the 
availability of Medicaid funds as a significant source of revenue. This 
special funding provided an average of $11 Million beyond our statutory 
cap each year, ensuring CHCC and

[[Page E1305]]

other providers remain open so that people can access healthcare 
services. In Fiscal Year 2018, 49 percent of all third-party payor 
reimbursements to CHCC were Medicaid. That amounts to $17.3 Million in 
revenue representing almost 30 percent of the hospital's total revenue. 
CHCC relies on Medicaid. With no certainty of funding, the Marianas 
made the tough decision on June 1, 2019 to cut off Medicaid 
reimbursements to providers, directing all Medicaid beneficiaries to 
use the clinics of the CHCC until further notice.
   We received an additional $36 Million for Medicaid in the disaster 
supplemental H.R. 2157, but in just a month after disbursement, more 
than half of the funds were paid out to providers, many of which are 
still owed reimbursements. We know the positive impact that regular 
access to healthcare can have on a person's overall health--just as we 
know how much worse a medical event can be for an individual that no 
longer has regular access. For the Marianas, it is already difficult 
for people to get to their providers for their specific healthcare 
needs. The hold imposed on outpatient clinics is evidence that taking 
this funding away not only threatens low-income families, but everyone 
at all income levels. It is already happening, and Congress should act 
now.
   I thank Chairman Pallone, Ranking Member Walden, and all the members 
of the committee for understanding the urgency of the Medicaid crisis 
in the insular areas and addressing the issue in a bipartisan way.
   Let's bring H.R. 2328 to the floor and show that the House is united 
in our support for the Insular Areas. Let's fix the Medicaid funding 
cliff.

                          ____________________