Puerto Rico Resources

Medicaid and CHIP in the Territories
Summarizes federal requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as operating in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Features statistics including number of enrollees and percentage of the population enrolled, and program costs, with breakdowns by federal or territory spending levels and by location, using data from fiscal year 2019.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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After Hurricane Maria - Predisaster Conditions, Hurricane Damage, and Recovery Needs in Puerto Rico
Report details the state of Puerto Rico's economy, environment, education, and healthcare both before and after hurricane Maria. Discusses the barriers to rebuilding various infrastructures across the commonwealth, including in rural communities.
Author(s): Jordan R. Fischbach, Linnea Warren May, Katie Whipkey, et al.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RAND Corporation
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Migration to the US among Rural Puerto Ricans Who Inject Drugs: Influential Factors, Sources of Support, and Challenges for Harm Reduction Interventions
Details a study of the migration patterns of rural people who inject drugs (PWID) from Puerto Rico to the United States. Breaks down data by age, gender, and HIV and HCV status among other measures.
Author(s): R. Abadie, P. Habecker, C. Gelpi-Acosta, K. Dombrowski
Citation: BMC Public Health, 19, 1710
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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A Shrinking Primary Care Workforce in Puerto Rico
Discusses Puerto Rico's aging primary care workforce and concerns about the number of healthcare professionals who have left the island following the 2017 hurricane and the relatively low recruitment and retention rate for graduates of Puerto Rico's residency programs. Features statistics showing primary care physician age distribution in Puerto Rico compared with the rest of the United States in 2018.
Author(s): Elizabeth Wilkinson, David Killeen, Gabriel José Pérez-López, Yalda Jabbarpour
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Robert Graham Center
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Assessing Indoor Environmental Control Practices by Race/Ethnicity Among Children With Asthma in 14 US States and Puerto Rico, 2013-2014
Results of a study measuring the association between race/ethnicity and practices such as use of air filters or pillow covers, using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Asthma Call-back Survey Child Questionnaire. Features demographic statistics with breakdowns by a group of 14 states and Puerto Rico.
Author(s): Faye M. Rozwadowski, Ginger L. Chew, Hatice S. Zahran, Melissa L. Santorelli
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 16
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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Disaster Response: HHS Should Address Deficiencies Highlighted by Recent Hurricanes in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Examines the federal public health and medical services response in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico following the 2017 hurricanes, Irma and Maria. Identifies shortcomings of the response and provides recommendations to improve future response efforts.
Additional links: Full report
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Emergency Management: FEMA's Disaster Recovery Efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Describes the disaster recovery efforts of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in response to hurricane damage, including damage to hospitals and infrastructure. Discusses grant funding and recovery office establishment, and addresses the challenges in implementing the public assistance program.
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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When Will the U.S. Territories Exhaust Federal Medicaid Funding?
Issue brief exploring the projected effects on healthcare expense funding in American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands if all sources of federal funding are allowed to expire in 2019. Features statistics for Medicaid funding and spending in the territories for fiscal year 2018, and sources of federal Medicaid funding and periods during which the funding is available.
Date: 07/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Mandated Report - Medicaid in Puerto Rico
Chapter 5 of the semi-annual Report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. Analyzes Puerto Rico's Medicaid program and factors affecting its future. Features statistics including selected health indicators for Puerto Rico compared with U.S. mainland states, projected Medicaid benefit spending for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, and Medicaid spending in Puerto Rico by year and source of funds for FYs 2011-2019.
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Medicaid Financing Cliff: Implications for the Health Care Systems in Puerto Rico and USVI
Issue brief providing an overview of the status of healthcare systems and Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) a year and a half after hurricanes hit the islands in September 2017. Focuses on challenges and includes an analysis of the implications for the islands' Medicaid finances, as most of the temporary disaster relief funding is set to expire in September 2019. Features statistics on the two territories' past and projected Medicaid spending.
Author(s): Robin Rudowitz, Cornelia Hall, Barbara Lyons
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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