Sablan, who was one of the speakers at the Saipan Rotary Club meeting at the Hyatt yesterday, said only the CNMI and one other state turned down the grant.
He noted that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that requiring everyone to buy insurance is unconstitutional.
“But we don’t have a dog in the fight, because this ‘personal mandate’ doesn’t apply to the Marianas, and the court also said that consumer protections, which apply here, are unconstitutional,” Sablan said.
This, he added, includes the requirement that insurers cover children up to 26 years of age on the family policy.
He said the CNMI government’s decision not to accept the grant is “very frustrating for parents who want to protect their children and for those who worked to get healthcare reform enacted.”
He added, “I have a number of constituents who have been trying to get their kids covered as required by law but the insurance companies have resisted, and due to the court challenges, it’s difficult to get enforcement.”
Sablan said the federal healthcare reform set aside $75 million for the CNMI, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
He said this money can be used to help the middle class families pay for their health insurance.
“Even those states that challenged the healthcare reform in court took the grant. The NMI did not,” Sablan added.
Accepting the money “could have meant that middle class families who are struggling with cuts in hours and increases in insurance premiums would get some help. I wish we’d taken that grant,” he said.
Sablan at the same time said everybody already knows that the local government retirement system can’t last and this is why one of the first things he did when he got into the U.S. Congress in 2009 was to meet with Social Security Administration head Michael Astrue.
“I asked him if Social Security would be willing to work with the commonwealth to ensure there is a safety net for government employees here, and he said yes,” Sablan said.
He then wrote to Gov. Benigno R. Fitial about this issue.
“I explained the opportunity but got no response,” Sablan said. He added that fortunately, Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos is more receptive.
“Eloy and I have started talking about what we can do to help the people who are depending on the government retirement system,” Sablan said.
He said eventually, the Retirement Fund members, officials, lawmakers and Social Security officials will also be part of the conversation.
“We are looking specifically to how we can extend the solvency or life of the Retirement Fund for those already retired and for those who have yet to retire, but now we are worried that there will be no money for them when they reach the age of 62.”
