HHS To Send Nursing Homes $4.9B In Coronavirus Aid
- May 26, 2020
Bloomberg Law (5/22, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reported, “Skilled nursing facilities will receive $4.9 billion in aid [to] address critical needs such as labor, scaling up their testing capacity, acquiring personal protective equipment, and a range of other expenses directly linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.” On Friday, HHS “said...it will make relief fund distributions to the nursing homes based on both fixed and variable bases.” Bloomberg Law added, “Each facility will receive a fixed distribution of $50,000, plus a distribution of $2,500 per bed,” and “all certified homes with six or more certified beds are eligible for the distribution.”
The Hill (5/22, Hellmann) reported additionally, the funds will “help make up for lost revenue caused by the pandemic and cover other COVID-19–related expenses.” However, “trade groups representing nursing homes and long-term care facilities said $5 billion isn’t enough money.”
Modern Healthcare (5/22, Cohrs, Subscription Publication) reported, “The funds come from the $175 billion provider relief fund that Congress created in recent pandemic relief legislation.” Modern Healthcare added, “HHS had previously distributed more than $72 billion in grants and said it intends to send money to dentists and providers that solely accept Medicaid, and reimburse providers for treatment provided to uninsured patients.”