Health

Plaskett Succeeds in Securing Additional $252 Million in Medicaid Funding for USVI in Congress's $1.4 Trillion Spending Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced a $1.4 trillion fiscal year 2020 spending bill that is expected to clear the Senate and be signed into law by President Trump. The bill includes $738 billion in funding for the military and $632 billion for non-defense departments.  In the bill are some key gains for the U.S. Virgin Islands negotiated by Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett. Among the more prominent gains are increased Medicaid funding along with an increase in the federal Medicaid match for the territory that represents the highest percentage that any state on the mainland U.S. can secure. “The domestic priorities and international assistance appropriations minibus, H.R. 1865, reflects agreement on extending funding for health programs in addition to eight appropriations bills. This agreement comes after months of discussion between our office and House and Senate Members on the need to resolve the Medicaid Cliff by the end of the year, including increased fundin...