Агентству Medicaid в КНМИ требуется дополнительно 2,3 млн долларов для использования увеличенного федерального финансирования

Директор агентства Medicaid Джордж Круз заявил, что текущий уровень местного финансирования не позволяет полностью реализовать потенциал нового федерального гранта в размере 111 млн долларов. Без доплат в местный бюджет программа потеряет возможность привлечь около 11 млн долларов федеральных средств, что напрямую повлияет на доступность медицинской помощи для 56% населения территории.

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THE Commonwealth Medicaid Agency needs an additional $2.3 million in local funding to fully avail itself of an increased federal allotment, its director, George Cruz, informed the House Committee on Ways and Means during a budget hearing Thursday. In Gov. David M. Apatang’s revised budget submission on July 1, 2026, CMA would receive $5.6 million in local funding under Scenario 1 of the fiscal year 2027 budget, which appropriates $97.282 million, a $4.6 million reduction from the original budget proposal. Cruz told the committee that CMA supports the administration’s Scenario 1 budget, as “we recognize the broader fiscal challenges facing the Commonwealth.” However, he said CMA recently received its updated FY2027 federal allotment, increasing the amount to $111 million. Cruz said that is a $4 million increase from the current fiscal year allotment of $107 million. This increase in the federal allotment, he said, requires an increase in local funding to $7.92 million, the amount needed for the CNMI to fully utilize the increased funding available to its Medicaid program. Cruz stressed that the difference between the initial local funding of $5.6 million and the newly required $7.92 million “does not represent a change in our direction in supporting Scenario 1. It reflects updated federal information that became available after the original budget request had already been submitted.” He reiterated that, given the CNMI’s current economic condition, CMA supports Scenario 1 because the agency views it as a “minimum responsible level necessary to maintain healthcare funding operations and to continue the major efforts that we are already implementing.” At the same time, Cruz said he believes the committee should understand the federal funding opportunity the CNMI would miss. Based on CMA’s estimates, the $2.3 million gap between the local funding provided under Scenario 1 and the amount necessary for CMA to fully maximize the federal allotment could affect approximately $11 million in federal matching funds that the CNMI would otherwise have an opportunity to utilize. Cruz said CMA was providing these numbers not to characterize either budget scenario as a failure. “We provide them to show the return that Medicaid can generate from local investment,” he said. He emphasized that “when we talk about leveraging federal Medicaid dollars, we are not talking about money that simply sits inside CMA. It moves into our healthcare system. It moves into our hospital. It moves into our physicians’ offices and pharmacies, and it moves into medical suppliers and off-island specialty providers. And ultimately, it moves through the CNMI economy.” He also informed the committee that, as of July 2026, CMA had provided more than $59.4 million in on-island payments alone and approximately $16.4 million in off-island payments. In the aftermath of Super Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, CMA also provided approximately $11.7 million in financial disaster support. “These are not simply government expenditures. These are healthcare dollars circulating through the Commonwealth,” he said. As of Thursday, he added, CMA was supporting approximately 23,690 active Medicaid beneficiaries, representing approximately 56% of the entire CNMI population.