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Should elected officials fully fund Guam Memorial Hospital? (Poll Closed)

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Total Votes: 228
4 Comments

  • johnny - 8 years ago

    Its a GOVGUAM ran hospital so why wouldnt it be fully funded? Doesnt GPD, GPA, GWA, GDOE expect to be fully funded?

  • Anonymous because of where I work - 8 years ago

    Why does it need to be fully funded? It generates income and if managed properly (as with any business), it should be able to sustain itself.

    As per the evaluation report done by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior in December 2014, "GMHA has the potential to remain a valuable asset for the citizens it serves. In collaboration with GovGuam, however, GMHA has to take a realistic view of what services Guam's population needs and what services the hospital can and cannot provide due to financial and operational constraints."

    It already receives partial funding from GovGuam through appropriations made through budget requests based on the priorities stipulated by the board of trustees and GMHA management. Let me say that again, based on priorities set by the board and management.

    Then GovGuam receives about $16.8 million annually through the Compact Impact Aid. Money that is meant to offset some of the costs for medical services, social services, and education to the residence of qualified nonimmigrants. Of the $16.8 million only $6 million of those funds went to GMHA.

    GMHA also receives Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. However, it appears that Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marians and Puerto Rico were not included in the new payment system established by Congress and instead is stuck in the old system. However, GMHA would be able to receive reimbursement under to the new system if it weren't for the fact that it is unable to provide the documentation that the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs to update the rate because the records were lost during a 1995 and 1996 computer overhaul. No one ever heard of backups?

    As per the evaluation report done by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior in December 2014, "GMHA's cash flow is negative and its reimbursement rates and fee schedules are out of date. Under the Guam Code Annotated, GMHA has the authority to establish fees for care and services to generate funding to meet its financial obligations. However, GMHA does not have a regular schedule for reviewing its fee schedule and has not adjusted its fees since the early 1990's." Nearly 25 years later and we are still working with a 1990 fee schedule?

    The evaluation report offered eight recommendations to help improve GMHA's fiscal affairs. Based on Governor Calvo's October 13, 2014 response, the Office of the Inspector consider recommendations 1 and 3 through 8 resolved but not implemented, and recommendation 2 unresolved. Need I say more?

    Evaluation report can be found at https://www.doioig.gov/sites/doioig.gov/files/HI-EV-OIA-0001-2014Public.pdf

  • Michelle Limtiaco - 8 years ago

    They should, and sad how the government hospital was taken for granted,
    It's about time to take care of the only government hospital in Guam. This is our legacy, this is owned by the government and the people of Guam, elected officials need to protect and support all government entities esp. GMH, how can we say we have a good government if the only Government Hospital is in debt and for how many decades it's been taken for granted. PLEASE SUPPORT GUAM MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

  • Basta Umbre - 8 years ago

    ah yes of course! would they? of course NOT! Not one leader has the guts to put it on the table because they seek treatment elsewhere....when vendors and retirement fund need to be paid, our leaders take the time to find ways to pay them, weeks, months maybe...Buuut when a govguam agency such as GWA and GPA need to be paid, a bill was proposed right away. I don't know, its just really sad. it will be nice though to zero out everything owed and finally find out where the problems are instead of pointing fingers and bringing up old issues....

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