HAGÅTÑA — Whether Guam and other U.S. territories are included in the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, remains a question.
Vice Speaker BJ Cruz on Monday wrote to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius expressing his frustration at the exclusion of Guam from the ACA’s list.
“My initial enthusiasm gave way to frustration when I discovered that U.S. territories are excluded from the drop down menu,” Cruz wrote. “Shall I interpret this to mean that millions of U.S. citizens in the territories are exempt from the ACA?” he asked.
Cruz was responding to a letter written over the weekend by Sebelius to all legislators notifying them of the website.
In the homepage of www.healthcare.gov, Guam and other U.S. territories are not on the list of states the healthcare coverage is available to.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is a product of historic health care reform, was signed into law in March by President Obama.
The website states: “The law puts into place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will hold insurance companies more accountable and will lower health care costs, guarantee more health care choices, and enhance the quality of health care for all Americans.”
The website also states that the law will be gradually implemented over the next four years.
In addition to Sebelius, Cruz also wrote to Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo and Assistant Secretary of Insular Areas Tony Babauta expressing his frustration.
In a letter responding to Cruz, Bordallo stated that because of Republican opposition, only the Senate bill was passed, which does not treat territories as comprehensively as the House bill.
“I will continue to work closely with HHS to ensure that Guam and the territories have access to information regarding this new law and its effects on the people of Guam,” she said.
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