Nelson files bill to avert Medicaid crisis in Puerto Rico

In wake of one of the most devastating disasters to hit Puerto Rico, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) filed legislation Thursday to prevent Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program from running out of money.
As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico receives only a fraction of the money states get for its Medicaid program. Instead of providing the island with an open-ended amount of funding as states get, Congress provided Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories with a set amount of money, which could soon run out if lawmakers fail to act.
With nearly half of Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million residents on Medicaid, allowing the island’s Medicaid funding to run dry would result in hundreds of thousands of people losing access to much-needed health care.
To prevent the looming Medicaid-funding crisis, also known as the Medicaid-funding cliff, Nelson filed legislation today along with U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) that would eliminate the current cap on Medicaid funding and instead provide Puerto Rico access to the same open-ended funding system the states get.
“The people of Puerto Rico need our help,” Nelson said. “As we work to help them recover and rebuild in the aftermath of this devastating disaster, we also have to look toward the future and help them avert what could be a serious health care crisis if nothing is done.”
In addition to helping Puerto Rico avert a potential health care crisis, Nelson’s legislation would also make some of Puerto Rico’s low-income seniors eligible for federal subsidies to help them cover the cost of their prescription drug costs.
The legislation now heads to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
A copy of the bill is available here.