OAKLAND — The Kaiser Foundation, a non-profit organization established by health insurance Kaiser Permanente, has put out a report on the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The report is called: “Fast Facts on the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Kaiser Permanente is not affiliated with the Kaiser Family Foundation,” Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman Sara Vinson said. “Both were founded by Henry J. Kaiser, but the companies are not connected and do not collaborate. Therefore, Kaiser Permanente played no role in the report.”
The report is below:
- With nearly 110,000 residents, the U.S. Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory, is located in the Caribbean and consists of the islands St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. Virgin Islanders are natural-born U.S. citizens.
- Although Medicaid and CHIP enrollment rates are similar, adults living in the U.S. Virgin Islands are two and a half times more likely to be uninsured than adults living in the 50 states and DC.
- Unlike the 50 states and DC, annual federal Medicaid funding for the U.S. Virgin Islands is capped, meaning once federal funds are exhausted, the island no longer receives federal Medicaid funds during that fiscal year. The territory also does not receive payments for uncompensated care (DSH).
- On September 6, 2017 Hurricane Irma hit the U.S. Virgin Islands followed by Hurricane Maria less than two weeks later, leaving severe damage to the infrastructure and limiting access to electricity, water, and basic necessities. Each hospital on St. Thomas and St. Croix and the clinic on St. John were destroyed and will have to be rebuilt. In the meantime, dialysis patients and patients with critical medical needs have been airlifted to several U.S. mainland states.
- Two months after the Hurricanes made landfall, over two thirds of residents remained without power.
- The Hurricanes have placed additional pressure on an already strained economy, which relies heavily on tourism. Many hotels in the territory are closed for the 2017-2018 season, resulting in staff layoffs.
https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/fact-sheet/u-s-virgin-islands-fast-facts/
