1098: Puerto Rico’s Health Care Crossroads

What happens when an entire health system is pushed to the brink of a funding cliff? In this episode, Dr. Victor Ramos Otero, Secretary of Health for Puerto Rico, joins the show to discuss the urgent challenges facing the island’s health care system. At the center of the conversation is the looming expiration of enhanced Medicaid funding in 2027, a shift that could strip away a third of Puerto Rico’s health care resources and force difficult decisions about services, staffing, and access to care. Dr. Ramos Otero outlines the structural inequities that set Puerto Rico apart from U.S. states, including capped Medicaid funding, lower Medicare Advantage rates, and gaps in critical programs like long-term care and low-income subsidies. These disparities, he explains, are driving both health care professionals and patients to leave the island in search of more stable support.

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