American Samoa’s Medicaid Director painted a grim picture for Congressional lawmakers of the impact if Medicaid is not extended after an October deadline to spend down existing funds. We go to our Washington DC correspondent Matt Kaye for that report.
Sandra King Young’s testimony before the House Natural Resources Committee was emotional and riveting—
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Faced with a Medicaid matching requirement and a federal block grant cap, Young told lawmakers, American Samoa is handicapped in meeting its people’s health needs…
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…while LBJ Hospital continues to receive its Medicaid payment, since it needs no localmatch under the Affordable Care Act payment method…
But Young says without a block grant increase or matching requirement relief forthe territories, now in several pending bills, she must continue to make “life and death” decisions.
One involved whether to send a severely disabled 6-month old suffering from cerebral palsy, to New Zealand, which said the child would likely die but still cost one-million dollars to care for…
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Young recounted two other horror stories, where she reversed her denials, but wondered aloud how American Samoa would pay for treatments it can’t afford.
She said for Congress to fail to increase the territory’s Medicaid block grant and give all the islands’ a fairer federal match compared with the states, knowing full-well the consequences, is “morally unconscionable.”
Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma granted a request to allow American Samoa and the other territories to spend the last amount of certain ACA money that is otherwise set to expire this coming December.
Ordinarily, American Samoa would have to spend the normal annual block grant first before accessing this supplemental funding.
Congresswoman Aumua Amata said Administrator Verma’s decision, gives American Samoa some immediate relief for the Medicaid program in 2019.
It allows the territory to access Section 1323 funds (originally $16.5 million) ahead of the annual block grant. It does not apply to the larger Section 2005 funds that are still expiring after September.
Congresswoman Aumua Amata said, “Thank you to CMS Administrator Seema Verma for this helpful decision which will provide some improvement yet this year,”
Medicaid Director Sandra King Young also said from DC this was great news “Congress agrees to let territories who have not spent their ACA funds to have 100% Federal Matching Assistance Percentage–meaning we don’t need local match. Unfortunately only through September. This is a big deal for our Medicaid program!”
