Washington must respond to the crises in Puerto Rico

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 any Puerto Rican will tell you, these are difficult times for the island and all who love it. Faced with major fiscal and health-care crises, its 3.5 million American citizens have done all they can to provide for their families. But they need help from the U.S. — and it's time to discuss seriously how we plan to provide it.

That's why I attended El Encuentro de la Diaspora, a first-of-its-kind conference in Orlando last week. The conference, which convened elected officials, nonprofit leaders and labor and grass-roots activists, provided a sense of purpose for Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. in the island's time of need. Just as important, it was a show of strength for a sleeping giant in American politics: the Puerto Rico vote.

The island needs an organized legal framework to coordinate its debt payments with its many creditors. Its status as a commonwealth, however, currently excludes it from Chapter 9 bankruptcy protections — just the bulwark it needs against its crushing obligations. I joined other attendees in calling on Congress to extend Puerto Rico these protections so it can manage its debt and get its economy back on track.

I'm also passionate about finding solutions to Puerto Rico's health-care crisis. Sixty percent of Puerto Ricans receive their health care through Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Medicaid. They pay the same taxes as other Americans, but the 2 million Puerto Ricans who depend on these programs for care receive less health-care funding than anyone on the mainland.

Even worse, the federal government has proposed a devastating 11 percent cut to Puerto Rico's Medicare Advantage, scheduled to take place next year. Deep cuts to an already underfunded system are unfair and discriminatory; Puerto Ricans have a right to health care like everyone else who pays into our system. I spoke forcefully at El Encuentro against these cuts, and called on Washington to provide equal health-care funding for families in the commonwealth.

The fiscal and health-care crises facing Puerto Rico, which have already caused suffering for so many, present an unprecedented opportunity for Puerto Ricans in the U.S. to make their voices heard. There are more than 8 million of us — more than 1 million in Florida alone.

By channeling its passion into organization, the Puerto Rican diaspora community made El Encuentro more than just a conference. It was the beginning of a movement that will make us a force to be reckoned with at the ballot box – in 2016 and beyond.

Melissa Mark-Viverito

Washington must respond to the crises in Puerto Rico