GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios has signed House Bill 22-77 which creates a Health Network Program in the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
Authored by former Rep. Tina Sablan, who is now the governor’s special policy advisor, the bill is now Public Law 22-33.
Among other things, it provides for the orderly transition of the medical referral program to CHCC and writes off outstanding balances of medical referral promissory notes.
According to the new law, the Health Network Program should be operated “in a manner that does not exceed the CNMI general fund appropriation for [the program]. If appropriated funding for the Health Network Program is exhausted prior to the end of the fiscal year, the CHCC shall submit a request to the governor and the Legislature for supplemental appropriations.”
Sablan said what was previously known as the medical referral services will now be part of CHCC’s health network program.
Late last month, CHCC Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna informed the governor that CHCC needed $3,487,754 for the program for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023.
She said the program would need $347,709 in personnel costs; $1,123,196 in rental accommodations; $372,738 in airfare; $330,480 in subsistence; $1.4 million in oncology drugs and $100,000 in “all other” expenses, for a total of $3.6 million.
However, she said, there is also projected Medicaid reimbursement of $186,369 so the projected need for the second quarter has been reduced to $3,487,754.
