PR Senate president meets with US lawmakers to advance Medicaid funding extension

Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz led a series of high‑level meetings in the U.S. Congress this week as part of an intensified effort to secure an extension of the island’s enhanced Medicaid funding, which is scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, 2027.

The meetings served as a precursor to a congressional briefing taking place today at the U.S. Capitol, where Puerto Rico officials plan to formally present the island’s case to members of Congress and their staff.

Rivera Schatz met with Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- the primary committee of jurisdiction over Medicaid -- as well as Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), a member of both the committee and its Health Subcommittee. Additional meetings included Rep. Carol Miller (R-W. Va.) of the House Ways and Means Committee and its Health Subcommittee, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), and Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The island Senate delegation also included Senate Vice President Carmelo Ríos Santiago and Sen. Ángel Toledo López, along with former Governor and former Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia. Pierluisi held separate meetings with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) — chairman of the House Democratic Caucus — Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.).

Technical meetings were also conducted with committee staff from congressional panels that have direct jurisdiction over Medicaid financing.

“Medicaid funding is a public health, fiscal, and strategic issue,” Rivera Schatz said. “The expiration of these funds would have direct consequences for our patients, hospitals, and health‑care professionals. Puerto Rico deserves stability and equitable treatment within the federal framework.”

The Senate president emphasized that the goal is to secure budgetary certainty beyond 2027 and avoid disruptions in essential services that support a large vulnerable population on the island.

“We are presenting a structured and well‑founded case to the committees with primary jurisdiction over Medicaid,” Rivera Schatz added. “This is a coordinated, responsible, and strategic effort to protect the stability of Puerto Rico’s health‑care system.”