To:  The United States House of Representatives, and the sponsors of the legislation first proposed by the Honorable Adriano Espaillat (NY-13); the House Committee on Ways and Means; and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Dated: 11th day of September in the year 2026

H.R. 9054, the Earned Benefits Equality and Family Reunification Act — introduced by Representative Adriano Espaillat as a successor to H.R. 5299 of the 118th Congress — would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration program allowing eligible Medicare beneficiaries to apply certain Medicare benefits toward healthcare received through the health systems of participating foreign countries. Jamaica is not currently named among the countries under consideration for this pilot program.

We, the undersigned, respectfully petition Congress to include Jamaica among the participating countries in this demonstration program, for the following reasons:

1. These are earned benefits. Medicare beneficiaries have already qualified for these benefits through decades of payroll contributions; choosing to live abroad should not mean forfeiting coverage already earned.
   
   
2. Portability would provide substantial healthcare benefits. Extending coverage to Jamaica would meaningfully benefit both American citizens and members of the Jamaican diaspora who wish to live in, retire to, or spend extended periods of time in Jamaica.
3. Appropriate care abroad may produce real savings. Where comparable-quality healthcare can be delivered in Jamaica at lower cost than in the United States, portability may reduce costs to the Medicare program rather than add to them.
   
   
4. Jamaica's ties to the United States are longstanding and substantial. Decades of economic, family, and cultural connection have produced a large and well-established Jamaican-American population across the country.
   
   
5. Jamaica merits equal consideration. Given these ties, and the precedent already set by the inclusion of other nations in the pilot program, Jamaica should be considered for inclusion in any international Medicare demonstration program authorized under this legislation.

Therefore, we respectfully urge Congress to amend H.R. 9054 to include Jamaica among the pilot countries designated for this demonstration program, or to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure Jamaica's inclusion in the program's design and implementation.