USVI eligible to receive increase to expand Medical Programme

By Caribbean Medical News Staff

Governor John de Jongh of the United States Virgin Islands has said that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have informed the USVI that it is now eligible to receive a 2.2 per cent increase to expand its Medical Assistance Program. The increased funding is a result of stipulations in the Affordable Care Act.

“The Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) of 2.2 percentage points is a temporary increase to 57.20 percent federal share that will be applied through December 31, 2015, to MAP expenses for eligible enrolled clients. Increased federal spending allows for greater savings to the territory”, the report indicated.

Reports suggest that the Governor was pleased that the USVI was in compliance by demonstrating “the successful coverage of its residents in the territory since 2010”.

“I was pleased to receive the letters from CMS which indicate the success of the strategic plan that I put in place as a healthcare legacy item for the territory during the Age of Health Reform and availability of additional federal funding. I encourage all residents who are uninsured to visit the Department of Human Services to determine if they are eligible for coverage. For those persons who are deemed not eligible, members of my staff continue to dialogue with insurance carriers and interested parties to develop a mechanism of coverage for gap populations who currently cannot find individual insurance coverage or affordable small group insurer coverage in our current market,” de Jongh said on Friday.

The US Virgin Islands government is also eligible for enhanced match to cover Medicaid benefits to a new population comprising of non-pregnant, childless adults – including the homeless — who were not covered prior to the Affordable Care Act according to the reports.

In addition de Jongh said that a State Plan Amendment (SPA) for new physicians’ fees for services provided at both territory hospitals was approved by CMS on March 27, 2014.

“This change does not preclude the hospitals for invoicing the Medicaid program for facility fees associated with the overhead of providing these procedures on-site at the facility,” he said.

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