FINANCE Secretary David DLG Atalig will meet with Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna and other CHCC officials to discuss the subsidies and other funds that CHCC says it has yet to receive from the central government.
In an e-mail to Variety on Thursday, Atalig said: “I will be meeting with both the Chairman and CEO of CHCC [Friday] to discuss this matter.”
He said Finance staffers are “looking at the numbers provided to me by CHCC, which are currently being verified with the findings forthcoming.”
Last week, Muna reminded Atalig about the “balance” from the subsidy appropriated for CHCC, an autonomous public corporation, beginning fiscal year 2018.
Muna’s letter indicates that there is a total of $34.2 million that CHCC has yet to receive from the CNMI government.
“After our FY 2022 budget hearing, there was a lot of emphasis from the lawmakers that the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation needs to make a written request to your office requesting for and following up on the funding appropriated by the CNMI public laws,” Muna told Atalig in a letter.
“Your attention to this request is greatly appreciated,” she added.
CHCC records show that for FY 2018, the central government allotted $2,251,926 under Public Law 20-11 but only $2,176,227.33 was transferred leaving a balance of $75,698.73.
In FY 2019, under P.L. 20-67, CHCC was allotted $10,295,016 but only a total of $2,304,040 was received. The balance for FY 2019 is $7,990,976.30.
In FY 2020, P.L. 21-08 as amended by P.L. 21-16 appropriated $2,915,546 to CHCC but only $156,684.57 was transferred, so CHCC is still owed $2,758,861.43 for FY2020.
In FY 2021, CHCC was allotted $86,659. This amount was transferred in full.
There are other appropriations due to CHCC, it said.
Of the $300,000 in cancer fund special account, only $250,000 was transferred so there is $50,000 that CHCC has yet to receive. Of the $2,531,250 in tobacco control funding, the central government still owes CHCC $1,113,792.40.
CHCC said the records also showed that the central government has yet to transfer CHCC’s $500,000 share of the casino license fee as appropriated by P.L. 21-10.
The central government also has yet to transfer to CHCC $2,285,151 in American Rescue Plan Act funds, $2,163,820 in Medical Referral Service Office funds and the $5,110,717 in ARPA monies for MRSO.
CHCC said Finance has also not remitted the $10 million earmarked in FY 2022 budget law for the magnetic resonance imaging/hyperbaric chamber; the $1,072,416 FY 2022 subsidy; and the $1 million that Saipan and the Northern Islands Legislative Delegation allotted for CHCC under Saipan Local Law 22-08.
