How Hurricane Maria Worsened Puerto Rico’s Health Care Crisis
<p>Almost three months have passed since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, worsening long-standing economic and health challenges. As the Commonwealth Fund’s Shanoor Seervai explains in a new article, the storm has exacerbated existing fault lines in the territory’s health system. </p><p>A combination of extreme poverty and deprivation threatens the health of Puerto Ricans, who are generally in poorer health than Americans on the mainland and heavily reliant on an already underfunded Medicaid program. </p>
<p>For Puerto Rico’s health system to recover, targeted and sustained federal funding will be needed, Seervai says. As the U.S. territory works to rebuild its health system, it can take valuable lessons from post-Katrina New Orleans, where safety-net clinics were strengthened through targeted federal grants.</p>