Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio are scheduled to appear at a rally in San Juan, Puerto Rico, later this week to discuss the island’s health care crisis, according to people familiar with the event.
The rally, scheduled for Thursday, is being organized by the Ecumenical Interfaith Coalition, a group of faith leaders from across Puerto Rico that has been working to highlight the island's ongoing financial struggles, which are partly due to disparities in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla is expected to lead the rally, which will start at noon from the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.
“One of the causes of the fiscal crisis we are living is the unfair treatment by the federal government on health care funding for Puerto Ricans. This march goes beyond party lines and is a collective effort to fight for our rights,” Garcia-Padilla said in a statement.
Earlier this year, García-Padilla announced Puerto Rico's public debt reached $72 billion, leading some advocates to ask that the island territory be given the authority to declare a Chapter 9 bankruptcy, as states and local governments can but territories cannot. Advocates also want to change the formula for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements to the island to correlate with those provided to states.
The Somos El Futuro Conference, an annual retreat to Puerto Rico where lawmakers discuss policies affecting the Hispanic Community, is scheduled to begin Wednesday and continue through the weekend.
De Blasio will be making a short appearance at the gathering, arriving Thursday and returning to New York that evening, aides to the mayor confirmed.
A spokesman for Cuomo did not immediately return a request for comment.
Cuomo visited Puerto Rico in September to show solidarity with the island’s financially struggling government and to help with health policy. He said at the time he would return in November for a rally.
Top Cuomo health officials returned to Puerto Rico last month to discuss the island’s health care system.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito who has been outspoken on the issue of Puerto Rico’s debt and health care crisis is also expected to attend the rally and conference. The speaker, a native of Puerto Rico, will travel to San Juan on Tuesday and stay through the weekend.
By Gloria Pazmino and Josefa Velasquez
Cuomo, de Blasio headed to Puerto Rico this week
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