Tax incentives proposed to expand health care accessibility to Guam's Medicaid patients

 By Pacific Island Times News Staff

Medical clinics serving Medicaid patients would be entitled to business privilege tax discounts under a proposed bill aimed at expanding the health care network for 30,000 Guamanians enrolled in the program.

Sabrina Salas Matanane

Bill 118-38, titled “Medicaid Access Enhancement Act,” seeks to make more health care providers accessible to Guam's Medicaid patients.

Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane, the bill’s author, said the proposed tax incentive would address the root cause of provider hesitancy to take on Medicaid patients due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Medicaid patients account for nearly 20 percent of Guam’s population, a majority of whom fall in the low-income bracket.

Matanane said Medicaid patients “struggle to find health care due to the limited number of providers and facilities that accept Medicaid patients.”

“This bill creates a tiered incentive structure that rewards providers who employ more qualified healthcare professionals and establish multiple service locations across the island. Now, that’s real access to healthcare,"

said Matanane, chair of the Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs.

If enacted into law, the proposed measure would ease congestion at Guam Memorial Hospital, Matanane said. “The strain on emergency rooms and fire stations for non-emergencies will subside significantly by ensuring more appropriate preventive and primary care options are available to Medicaid beneficiaries,” she added.

Medicaid network expansion would also establish “a clear audit trail through the certification process, enhancing our ability to prevent Medicaid fraud and ensure accountability,” the Republican senator said.

In February, the Office of Public Accountability flagged $241.1 million in dubious Medicaid payments made by the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services to questionable health care providers, including inactive or ineligible facilities and physicians with expired medical licenses.

OPA found 12 Medicaid providers that have not been revalidated for eight to 10 years, throwing into question some $233.8 million in payments they received during the period covered by the audit.

“Our committee also included in the bill, requirements of annual progress reports to the legislature and governor, ensuring transparency and enabling evidence-based policy adjustments,” Matanane said. “This is a win-win for all involved and a huge step forward to ensuring virtually every resident has access to much-needed healthcare.”

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