THE House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed the substitute version of House Bill 22-77, which would create the CNMI Medical Travel Assistance Program.
The bill is authored by Rep. Tina Sablan and co-sponsored by Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, House Floor Leader Ralph N. Yumul, House Minority Leader Angel Demapan, Reps. Roy Ada, Celina R. Babauta, Sheila J. Babauta, Vicente C. Camacho, Richard T. Lizama, Donald M. Manglona, Edwin K. Propst, Patrick H. San Nicolas, Leila F. Staffler and Denita K. Yangetmai.
H.B. 22-77 HS1 now goes to the Senate.
Demapan and Rep. Vicente Camacho were excused from the House session held at the Rota Courthouse in Sinapalo II at 10:30 a.m.
The bill aims to provide for the orderly transition of medical referral services from the Office of the Governor to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
Prior to the roll call vote, Rep. Tina Sablan said the bill would also protect CHCC from incurring the outstanding debts and liabilities of the former Medical Referral Office, and would clarify that outstanding promissory notes shall remain receivables of the central government and not the responsibility of CHCC, which is an autonomous public corporation.
She said this was a big issue for CHCC officials who wanted to make sure that it would be addressed in the bill.
The other important part of H.B. 22-77, she said, is the establishment of a health network program within CHCC. She said this would connect patients to CHCC’s network of providers and provide patients with access to care outside the CNMI for services that are beyond CHCC’s capacity or availability.
Sablan noted the long-standing historical issues that have affected the medical referral program.
These include the lack of any enabling statute that truly sets forth the legal authority and parameters for services; the chronic underfunding of the medical referral program and the difficulties the program has had in containing cost, minimizing a patient’s length of stay and ensuring effective communication, record-keeping, case management and coordination of care.
Sablan said H.B. 22-77 HS1 was drafted in close coordination with CHCC, taking into account the reports, comments and recommendations that the committee received from CHCC, the medical referral staff, the officers of the Rota and Tinian health centers, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Finance, the special assistant for administration, the Medicaid agency, the Office of the Public Auditor and concerned citizens.
Tina Sablan
