From: The Honorable Pedro R. Pierluisi

Date: 2/25/2010

Dear Colleague:

I wanted to bring to your attention an editorial (pasted below) that appears today in El Diario La Prensa, a daily newspaper distributed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The editorial, entitled “An Indefensible Message to Puerto Rico,” observes that the President’s health care reform proposal, released in summary form this week, treats Americans living in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories in profoundly unjust fashion.



Although the House-passed bill made significant steps to improve the treatment of U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico and the other territories under federal health care programs, the Senate-passed bill did not. Contrary to repeated assurances we received over the course of the past year, the White House’s proposal largely tracks the Senate language. Under this proposal, residents of Puerto Rico and the other territories would be completely excluded from the health care exchange, excluded from the important consumer protections established in the bill, and provided only a small increase in Medicaid funding (while being required to cover tens of thousands more people).



On the House floor yesterday, I delivered this one-minute statement on the issue:



“Mr. Speaker: I support health care reform. But I do not support the proposal put forward by the White House, because it treats 4.4 million Americans living in Puerto Rico and the other U.S. territories like they are second-class citizens. My loyalty to my party, and to our President, is beyond question. But my principles—and my people—come first. This proposal violates my principles and it mistreats my people.



In Puerto Rico, the federal government pays less than 25 percent of the cost of providing Medicaid services. That is a national travesty. The House took important steps to mitigate this disparity in funding. Yet, the White House proposal does not make a good faith effort to address this inequality. Moreover, the proposal excludes Puerto Rico from the exchange, but allows non-citizen residents of the states to participate. This is discrimination—and it is no way to treat one’s fellow Americans.



I do not believe this proposal reflects the President’s thinking. And I cannot believe my colleagues will allow it to stand. The people of Puerto Rico and the other territories fight proudly for their country. Their country should fight for them too.”



Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, has said that the White House’s proposal “isnt meant to be the final say on the legislation.” It is this Congress that will have the last word. Over the coming days and weeks, I hope you will join me and the other territorial representatives in making sure that any health care reform bill enacted into law does justice to your fellow Americans in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.



Sincerely,



Pedro R. Pierluisi

Member of Congress