Amata Welcomes Medicaid and Government Funding Extension to February

Press Release

Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is welcoming Thursday's House vote to fund the U.S. government through February 18, 2022, including a Medicaid extension at current levels. This action allows Congress more time to complete yearly appropriations, preserving American Samoa's federal Medicaid support while long-term legislation is considered that is expected to extend Medicaid for multiple years.

This bill (H.R. 6119) would fund the federal government through February 18, 2022, to prevent a shutdown or loss of nonessential federal services. Thursday's House vote sends the bill to the Senate for consideration, where the extension could pass in time to prevent the concerns associated with a shutdown.

The bill would extend American Samoa's current Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for more than ten weeks while Congress focused on appropriations efforts that include long-term renewals. The House-passed Build Back Better (BBB) Act extends the FMAP for American Samoa for ten years, and raises the cap to up to $90 million yearly, but could be modified by the U.S. Senate.

"I'm delighted to see our current Medicaid support preserved while Congress finishes the important next steps for the multi-year solution we've been seeking," said Congresswoman Amata. "Our Medicaid is an ongoing priority, and we've made good progress in recent years. As territories, we have successfully worked together to advocate for more equal treatment with the states in Medicaid funding. These efforts have resulted in our increased federal match, increased room to grow under a much higher cap, and better expectation of year-to-year stability. Current legislation would take these recent improvements and make them standard over the next several years."

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