Menendez, Colleagues Call for Emergency Funding for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) led a bicameral letter to Congressional leadership requesting emergency funding for Puerto Rico, with a focus on Puerto Rico's Medicaid program, to ensure that those impacted by Hurricane Fiona will have access to the health coverage they need.

Nearly five years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona dealt another blow to the island, knocking out its power and causing severe flooding. Congress has previously passed emergency supplemental funding for natural disasters, including after Hurricane Maria, and the lawmakers called for similar action in the wake of Hurricane Fiona too.

"It is more imperative than ever that the residents of Puerto Rico are assured continued access to Medicaid coverage and services," wrote the lawmakers. "Any new barriers to Puerto Ricans receiving medical assistance exacerbate an already unstable situation stemming from years of economic downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and a painful debt-restructuring process that continues to leave the island with tens of billions of dollars of debt."

Federal Medicaid policy has historically treated Puerto Rico inequitably, imposing arbitrarily low funding levels on Puerto Rico's Medicaid program -- both for its allotments and the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) -- that reduce its coverage level.

"At the very least, Congress should again temporarily increase the FMAP to 100%, to provide medium-term predictability for Puerto Rico and to reduce fiscal pressures that will undoubtedly be worsened by Hurricane Fiona's fallout," added the lawmakers. "In the longer term, Congress must act to increase Puerto Rico's FMAP permanently--a step necessary to enabling Puerto Rico's Medicaid program to plan coverage for services like long-term care."

Sen. Menendez has been a long-time supporter of the people of Puerto Rico, advocating for ensuring the federal government fully supports Puerto Rico in their continued recovery efforts since Hurricane Maria devastated the islands five years ago. The Senator is now playing an active role as Puerto Rico works to recover from Hurricane Fiona. Last week, he led a bicameral push alongside Rep. Velázquez urging President Joe Biden to issue a major disaster declaration for Puerto Rico, which happened days after the request was formally made. Sen. Menendez also joined several of his colleagues in pushing President Biden to eliminate Puerto Rico's cost-share for FEMA hurricane relief assistance.

In the Senate, this letter was also signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sander (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). In the House of Representatives, it was signed by Reps. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.-13), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.-04), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-29), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.-03), Darren Soto (D-Fla.-09), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.-25), and David Cicilline (D-R.I.-01).

Find a copy of the letter HERE and below.

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Chair Leahy, and Chair DeLauro:

We write you to ask that Congress take swift action to provide sufficient funding for Puerto Rico's Medicaid program as part of any efforts to aid Puerto Rico's response to Hurricane Fiona. This is an important step to ensure that those impacted by the hurricane will have access to the health coverage they need. We support emergency funding for disaster relief and recovery, whether in an emergency supplemental or in another funding vehicle, and we ask that assistance to Puerto Rico's Medicaid program be a key part of that funding.

Almost exactly five years after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, Hurricane Fiona has caused major damage to Puerto Rico, knocking out power to the entire island. Approximately 50% of the island's electrical grid infrastructure sustained damage.1 Amid this significant damage, Puerto Rico's health system has received a severe blow. A significant number of Puerto Rico's hospitals still lacked power days after the hurricane,2 and some needed to transfer their patients to other hospitals.3 It is more imperative than ever that the residents of Puerto Rico are assured continued access to Medicaid coverage and services. Any new barriers to Puerto Ricans receiving medical assistance exacerbate an already unstable situation stemming from years of economic downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and a painful debt-restructuring process that continues to leave the island with tens of billions of dollars of debt.4 Moreover, federal Medicaid policy has historically discriminated against Puerto Rico. Federal law had subjected Puerto Rico's Medicaid program to unfairly low arbitrary caps on annual funding as compared to states and the District of Columbia.5 Its current temporary increase to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is set to revert back to 55%, down from its current rate of 76%, in December,6 creating uncertainty for Puerto Rico. At the very least, Congress should again temporarily increase the FMAP to 100%, to provide medium-term predictability for Puerto Rico and to reduce fiscal pressures that will undoubtedly be worsened by Hurricane Fiona's fallout. In the longer term, Congress must act to increase Puerto Rico's FMAP permanently--a step necessary to enabling Puerto Rico's Medicaid program to plan coverage for services like long-term care. Last year, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, which included important provisions to strengthen Puerto Rico's Medicaid program, including a permanent increase to the fixed allotments to the program, planned increases in those allotments, and a permanent increase in Puerto Rico's FMAP.7 Those provisions include steps that are now urgent.

Even as the full magnitude of Hurricane Fiona's damage to Puerto Rico remains to be seen, it is evident that the island will need federal support to recover and rebuild. There is ample precedent for Congress to take emergency action to provide funding in the wake of a disaster, as it did in 2017 after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.8 We urge you to ensure that Congress responds swiftly to Puerto Rico's new need posed by Hurricane Fiona, whether in an emergency supplemental or in another funding vehicle, and we ask that assistance to Puerto Rico's Medicaid program be a key part of that funding.

Thank you for your consideration.

Source