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Peter wants debts with health care providers settled
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Posted on Dec 20 2000
The chair of the House Committee on Health and Welfare will only support the hiring of Hawaii Management Alliance Association (HMAA) unless the Government Health Insurance and the Department of Public Health settles the debt with the two private health providers in Hawaii.
Rep. Malua Peter has expressed concern on the delay in payment of Straub Clinic & Hospital and Queens Medical Center, making it difficult for members of the government health insurance to seek medical treatment in these institutions.
Representatives from the Office of Management and Budget, Departments of Finance and Public Health met with Rep. Peter last week to discuss ways on how to settle the debt with the health providers as soon as possible before it turns into a medical disaster for the CNMI.
Straub Clinic & Hospital has demanded payment of $2 million for an undetermined number of years from GHLI while Queen’s Medical Center has asked for $1.8 million settlement of unpaid accounts.
Operation of GHLI was turned over to NMIRF in June 1996 without providing any funding, which left the Fund without any choice but to settle some of its liabilities.
The NMIRF board has approved the hiring of HMAA to provide utilization review services and eventually pave the way for the privatization of the government health insurance.
Board Chair Vicente Camacho said hiring of HMAA which will result in $1 million savings to the Fund. The Honolulu-based company will get at least 20 to 50 percent discount, depending on which hospital the members will be going. The company has in-house doctors who will analyze the billing and a pharmaceutical benefits manager who keeps track on whether the charges for medicine are too high.
Members of GHLI who have gone to Hawaii for medical check-up have been turned away by the hospitals due to non-payment of debt of the government health insurance.
