Writeoff bill for Medical referral promissory notes is now law

Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) presides over the Senate session yesterday morning. One of the issues discussed was Gov. Arnold I. Palacios Palacios’ signing into law of a bill that writes off outstanding balances of medical referral promissory notes. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Gov. Arnold I. Palacios has signed into law a bipartisan House bill to establish the Health Network Program under the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., to provide for the orderly transition of medical referral services administration and operations to CHCC, and to write off outstanding balances of medical referral promissory notes.

Palacios informed Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) and House of Representatives Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) that he signed House Bill 22-77, HS1, SD1 into Public Law No. 22-33 last Jan. 31.

At the Senate session yesterday, Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian) said this new law not only created a structure for medical referral for the CNMI, but also writes off the promissory notes that were executed by agencies over the past few years to patients that didn’t have the means to shoulder the cost of medical care outside the CNMI.

He said there was no legal guidance on medical referral and this particular action by Palacios certifies that and now puts the appropriate structure of the program, thanks to amendments made by some members of the Legislature, with the guidance of CHCC.

“I want to thank Gov. Palacios for signing this into law and I want to thank the members of the Legislature and also want to recognize the former [committee] chair, Rep. Christina Sablan, for piloting this legislation,” Hofschneider said.

Sablan, who was at the time the House Health and Welfare Committee chair, introduced the legislation that sets forth the duties and responsibilities of the Health Network Program.

Duties and responsibilities include facilitating access to care for eligible CNMI patients; maintaining program data and reporting to the Legislature and the governor; coordinating medical records; identifying and pursuing opportunities to improve care in the CNMI and reduce the need for patients to travel off-island; operating within appropriated funding levels; and promulgating rules and regulations.

The bill provides for the orderly transition of the off-island medical referral services from the Governor’s Office to CHCC, and protects CHCC from incurring outstanding debts and liabilities of the former medical referral office. The bill further clarifies that all outstanding obligations debts, and liabilities of the Off-Island Medical Referral Program on the date of the transfer shall remain liabilities of the CNMI Office of the Governor, and shall not transfer to CHCC.

The House passed the bill with amendments on May 25, 2022. The Senate passed it with amendments on Dec. 28, 2022. The House accepted the Senate amendments and passed it on Jan. 5, 2023.