GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios on Thursday said he is hopeful that U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan can help CNMI Medicaid.
In an interview, the governor said a funding shortfall seems to be a recurring problem with Medicaid.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state/territorial program that provides health insurance to low-income individuals and families. The federal government provides a significant portion of the funding for the program.
With the declaration of a public health emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CNMI received additional Medicaid funding for presumptive eligibility which is scheduled to end on May 31, 2023.
“And that is leaving a lot of folks without Medicaid,” the governor said, adding that “it did eat up prematurely the Medicaid resources that we have.”
But the governor said he believes Kilili is doing all he can to help the local Medicaid office obtain more resources.
“I hope things will work out,” the governor said.
Last week, Kilili introduced H.R. 3260 or the Northern Mariana Islands Medicaid Act to increase CNMI Medicaid funding to $90 million from $66 million.
In the meantime, the Palacios administration issued a notice informing the public about an amendment to the Medicaid State Plan that allows the local Medicaid office to limit, reduce, or suspend services “due to financial constraints and cost-cutting measures.”
The notice states that “in an effort to sustain the program and ensure medically necessary services are not disrupted, temporary limitations, restrictions, or suspensions will be implemented and taken into effect on June 1, 2023, and end no later than September 30, 2023.”
Suspended services are dental services, outpatient physical therapy and related services, home health physical therapy, home health aide, or medical social worker services, prosthetic devices and vision services.
Children ages 0-20 years may be excluded from the limitations, reductions, or suspensions of services for the purposes of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment services through prior authorization. Prior authorization requests must accompany a physician’s certification of medical necessity.
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan
