Millions of dollars in Medicaid funding to Guam has been extended through November 21, 2019 with the passage of a Continuing Resolution, the Adelup communications office confirmed this morning.
President Trump signed into law H.R. 4378, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and
Health Extenders Act of 2019, which includes a provision that extends the current 100
percent Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for the U.S. territories through
November 21, 2019.
Without this provision, Guam would have been required to put up a 45 percent match to be able to draw down on available Affordable Care Act (ACA) funds.
“This is a small victory for our island,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero in a release. “The bigger fight is for a lasting solution—one that treats Guam and the territories equal to the states when it comes to Medicaid funding. Our Administration has persistently urged Congress to pass legislation to permanently increase our FMAP and lift the Medicaid cap imposed on the territories.”
In addition to testimony and numerous letters that the governor Leon Guerrero provided to Congress on the so-called “Medicaid Cliff,” she also joined the chief executives of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, in a joint letter to Congress, urging for Medicaid parity with the states.
“From the start of our Administration, we have meaningfully advanced Guam’s call for fairer treatment under the Medicaid statute. With every step forward, we come closer and closer to sustainable coverage for those who need it at a savings to our taxpayers. We still have so much work to do, but our progress is real and Medicaid patients still have coverage because of it,” the governor said.
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