Updated at 4:44 p.m., Monday, August 31, 2009
Micronesians told treatment will not end despite change in health care plan
By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer
Members of Gov. Linda Lingle’s Cabinet did their best this morning to assure members of the Micronesian community in Hawaii who require kidney dialysis or chemotherapy that they will continue receiving those vital services despite a change in a state insurance program for legal migrants.
Lingle’s senior policy analyst Linda Smith and state Department of Human Services director Lillian Koller met with about 30 members of the Micronesians United group and their leaders at the governor’s office, pledging no one who needs chemotherapy or dialysis will be left in a lurch by the switch to the new insurance program, which begins tomorrow.
Koller said the state of Arizona recently won a consent degree from the federal government that acknowledged that dialysis should be considered an emergency service.
The federal government agreed to reimburse Arizona for the cost of dialysis provided to legal immigrants dating back to 2007. Koller said Hawaii will file a claim based on the same argument and stands to be reimbursed about $3 million for providing dialysis to Micronesian migrants in 2007 and 2008.
The reimbursement would pay the cost of dialysis for another two years.
Meanwhile, while the federal government has decided that chemotherapy-therapy does not meet the criteria of emergency treatment, The Queen’s Medical Center has committed to providing chemotherapy to Micronesians at no cost to them, Koller said.
And because almost all Micronesians undergo chemotherapy Queen’s and other hospitals on an in-patient basis, they will continue to be covered under the state’s Basic Health Hawaii medical insurance program that begins tomorrow.
Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Source: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090831/BREAKING01/90831046/Micronesians+told+treatment+will+not+end+despite+change+in+health+care+plan
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