[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E111-E112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INTRODUCTION OF THE INSULAR AREA MEDICAID PARITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 9, 2023

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Insular Area 
Medicaid Parity Act. This legislation seeks to protect the continued 
delivery of critical healthcare services to Americans in all corners of 
our Nation by eliminating the general Medicaid funding limitations for 
territories of the United States.
  The Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands are subject to a hard, statutory limit on 
federal Medicaid support, unlike the 50 states and the District of 
Columbia. This cap means that preventive care and treatment for the 
poorest Americans in the insular areas will always be less available 
than for Americans elsewhere.
  Congress has also acknowledged this inequity. We acted to provide 
more Medicaid funding for the insular areas by substantially lifting 
the cap through P.L. 116-94, Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 
2020. Provisions in P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus 
Response Act created equity between the states and the insular areas 
with respect to the increase in the federal-local match for Medicaid. 
Families First, also, provided additional federal dollars for the 
insular area Medicaid programs. Most recently, P.L. 117-328, the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, made permanent the 83 percent 
federal match for Medicaid for the smaller territories.
  The Insular Area Medicaid Parity Act furthers this progress by 
creating an enduring policy that safeguards the health of the poorest 
Americans in our insular areas. By repealing the cap, we will not only 
ensure that there are sufficient resources to address the ongoing 
pandemic, but also set up the healthcare systems in the insular areas 
to respond to the next public health challenge, whatever it may be. 
Most important of all, we will ensure that day-after-day and year-by-
year, those with the smallest incomes and no access to other insurance 
receive the care that will keep them healthy and help ward off 
debilitating disease.

[[Page E112]]

  The pandemic has brought home this truth: none of us can truly remain 
well, while some of us are ill. Now it is time for Congress to fully 
commit to making sure the poorest in the insular areas are treated 
equitably.
  I thank my colleagues who joined me in introducing this legislation--
Ms. Holmes Norton, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Moylan, Ms. Radewagen, Ms. 
Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Torres, Mr. Takano, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Trone, Mr. 
Case, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Bonarnici, Ms. Meng, Mr. Garcia, Ms. Lee, Ms. 
Moore, Ms. Napolitano, and Ms. Chu.

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