“HHS is using funds from Congress, secured by President Trump, to provide new targeted help for America’s safety-net providers and clinicians who treat millions of Medicaid beneficiaries,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
The funding available to those fighting the CCP virus pandemic has been made available through the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which allocated $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers.
“Healthcare providers who focus on treating the most vulnerable Americans, including low-income and minority patients, are absolutely essential to our fight against COVID-19,” said Azar.
Medicaid providers can apply for the funding on the HHS portal from Wednesday. The application can start with 2 percent of the reported gross revenue for patient care and the HHS will use additional information like the number of Medicaid residents served and the annual patient revenue to decide the final funding.
“This funding will supply relief to Medicaid and CHIP providers experiencing lost revenues or increased expenses due to COVID-19,” said the HHS in a statement.
Examples of providers who can apply for the funding include pediatricians, obstetrician-gynecologists, dentists, opioid treatment, and behavioral health providers, assisted living facilities, and other home and community-based services and providers.
The HHS also announced $10 billion for safety-net hospitals that serve the most vulnerable citizens. The department also communicated with all hospitals seeking updates about COVID-19-positive inpatient admissions from Jan. 1 to June 10.
“This information will be used to determine a second round of funding to hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots to ensure they are equitably supported in the battle against this pandemic,” noted HHS.
To apply for funding under the $10 billion grant, hospitals should submit their applications by June 15.
