PHOTO: Government House
Governor Bryan wrapped up his Washington visit by testifying in front of Congress.
Bryan gave an update on the state of the territory in a hearing with the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Tuesday.
There he thanked the government for their support during the recovery from the 2017 hurricanes, but he asked Congress to extend the period of disaster related Medicaid relief to the USVI.
Bryan said healthcare funding was under great stress even before the hurricanes.
He wants Congress to extend the disaster related Medicaid relief in the Bipartisan Budget At by one year.
The Governor continued his testimony adding, “Medicare law as it applies to the Virgin Islands is outdated, resulting in substantial reimbursement deficiencies and increasingly unsustainable financial damage to our publicly-owned hospitals and our Government. In 2011, the hospitals each submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a request for assignment of a new base period to mitigate the reimbursement shortfalls, but CMS has yet to act on those requests.”
Governor Bryan also highlighted the need for Congress to implement other policy changes to allow for equitable federal resources to the territory including increases to Highway funding and tax policy changes to the Jobs Act of 2004.
Bryan returns to the territory Wednesday.
