Prompt Medicaid spending helps

CNMI is doing a good job in promptly spending the $109 million in Medicaid funds that I was able to add to Obamacare. Prompt spending helps me make the case to extend funding when the original money expires next year. The extra Obamacare Medicaid money has helped keep the hospital open, even after local funding was cut. Obamacare funds expire on September 30, 2019, and the CNMI is projected to spend 93 percent of the funds by that time. Comparatively, Guam is projected to spend 69 percent of its money and American Samoa only 20 percent. A local commitment to match the Medicaid funding would draw down the funds even further and help our argument for future funding. My proposal to lift the cap on Medicaid funding for the insular areas would ensure we can spend as much as needed, just like the states. A firm local commitment to match federal spending would also support the proposal to raise the cap.