Round five in a sustained effort to deal with economic problems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in a close 208-199 vote on May 15, 2020 that occurred mostly along party lines (only one Republican voted for it). Called the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (Heroes) Act, (H.R. 6800), this spending package would provide another $3 trillion in supplemental funds.
Among its major features, the proposed legislation would furnish an additional $100 billion for the provider relief fund initially established in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) and also would expand the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139). The bill also is aimed at improving the Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program by lowering the interest rate for loans to Medicare providers, reducing the per-claim recoupment percentage, and extending the period before repayment begins.
Additional measures include:
Providing $26.7 billion in emergency aid to public higher education institutions and $7 billion in emergency aid to private institutions for “education and general expenditures (including defraying expenses due to lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, and payroll) and grants to students for expenses directly related to coronavirus.”
Extending the suspension of payments for federal student loans, interest accrual, and interest capitalization through September 30, 2021. Ten thousand dollars of loan forgiveness on all federal and privately held loans for economically distressed borrowers would be provided.
Available through September 2024, $4.7 billion would be invested for the National Institutes of Health to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus, including $3 billion designated for offsetting the costs related to reductions in lab productivity as a result of the pandemic.
Increasing Federal Medical Assistance Percentage payments to state Medicaid programs by a total of 14%, starting July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.
Republican opposition indicates that the legislation already is considered dead on arrival in the Senate. A major concern is that money will go to states that have a long history of mismanaging their own respective finances. Senate Republicans have expressed interest in requiring that liability protection be included for businesses and academic institutions. Otherwise, they believe there is little guarantee that the unemployed will be able to return to their jobs and that normal functions on the nation’s campuses will be resumed any time soon. Some members of the G.O.P. also would prefer that states and local governments be given much more flexibility regarding how they can use existing relief money for operating expenses. The gradual relaxation of lockdown requirements by many jurisdictions around the U.S. will produce results about the spread of the disease and its lethality that may influence any future legislation, which possibly could be enacted into law.
More May 2020 TRENDS Articles
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Indicates the importance of recognizing how “confounding” as a source of bias threatens the process of causal inference in research practice. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
ASAHP President Phyllis King presents information about the Association’s five strategic objective areas and associated success measures. Read More
HEROES ACT PASSED IN HOUSE
Contains details about a proposed piece of legislation to furnish additional financial assistance to deal with economic consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Points out how the federal-state Medicaid program is being augmented to provide insurance coverage and paid sick leave benefits for individuals negatively affected by job loss. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Describes how Mad magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman’s motto of Quid Me Anxious Sum serves as a motivational factor for enjoying life once governmental lock-down provisions are relaxed and also how coronavirus stimulus funding is being distributed to colleges and universities. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Births: Provisional Data for 2019
Effects Of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Routine Pediatric Vaccine Ordering And Administration
Non-Invasive And Reversible Modulation Of Neuronal Activity To Diagnose And Treat Brain Disorders
Cracking Nature’s Most Common Chemical Bond To Improve Drug Effectiveness Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
What COVID-19 Epidemiologic Models Can And Cannot Tell Us
Supporting Student Health And Mental Well-Being
Caregiving In The United States 2020 Read More
RETHINKING THE “BENCH” AND “BEDSIDE” DICHOTOMY
Mentions how research activities might be understood better in the context of “discovery-invention” cycles rather than a basic/applied dichotomy that translates loosely to notions of bench and bedside research. Read More
ADDRESSING THE 60-30-10 CHALLENGE
Refers to a study that discusses how 60% of health care adheres to guidelines; 30% is represented by care that is waste, duplication, or low value; and 10% accounts for iatrogenic harm or adverse events. Read More