Guam Delegate Michael San San Nicolas has joined fellow members of Congress hosting Compact migrants to extend Medicaid eligibility to Compact migrants.
The Covering Our FAS Allies (COFA) Act will reinstate Medicaid eligibility to FAS migrants, something that has not been afforded since 1996.
Without Medicaid eligibility, San Nicolas said Compact migrants unable to pay or uninsured are left to rely on the Government of Guam Medically Indigent Program (MIP) which has been severely underfunded for many years.
Medicaid eligibility will enable Compact migrant healthcare costs to be partially covered by federal matching funds with 55% federally covered and 45% locally covered.
“With over 14,000 Compact migrants living on Guam, Medicaid eligibility will more than double current MIP buying power. This will relieve the government from shouldering the full cost of uninsured migrant healthcare in MIP or GMH deficit spending,” San Nicolas said in a news release.
He added: “Including our Compact migrant community in Medicaid not only improves their access to care, but it also lowers Guam taxpayer burdens and provides relief to GMH where all the uninsured healthcare costs accrue.”
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