Akin Gump Helps Restore Medicaid Coverage for Marshall Islanders

(Washington, D.C.) – A team from Akin Gump represented the Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in a more-than two decade fight to secure the restoration of Medicaid coverage for Marshall Islanders living in the U.S. It’s a move that corrects a drafting mistake stemming from a 1996 law barring the islanders from the program.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a critical U.S. ally of significant geopolitical importance, covering an area of the Pacific as large as Texas, over which the United States possesses all land, water and air rights, making this an issue of international scope. Under the US-RMI Compact of Free Association, the RMI refrains from exercising its sovereignty for strategic and defense purposes, including critical base rights, while Washington in return provides financial assistance, continues some federal programs and enables free movement of citizens. 

The Akin Gump team was led by public law and policy senior counsel Karen Goldmeier Green, and included consultant Jeffrey Farrow, senior advisor Geoff Verhoff, partner Jamie Tucker.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers and advisors in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1945, the firm is proudly celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020. #AkinGump75

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