A recent Revenue Cycle Intelligence article highlighted President Biden’s COVID-19 relief package. The package includes a number of healthcare provisions that require societies are supporting the relief package, there is concern about the ability of hospitals and physicians to respond given the impact of COVID patient care.
Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan focuses heavily on responding immediately to the pandemic and getting shots in arms, which relies on a coordinated health system response. The plan also has other implications for hospitals and health systems, including new coverage policies.
COVID-19 HEALTH SYSTEM RESPONSE
There are nine key components to Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan that will impact the health system’s response to the ongoing pandemic, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA).
In a special bulletin to members, the Association identified the components as the development of a $20 billion national vaccine program; a $50 billion allocation to expand testing capabilities; funding for the public health workforce; funding for expanding care access for underserved populations and addressing health disparities; resources and support for congregate settings; a $30 billion allocation for increasing the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other items; purchase of COVID-19 treatments; implementation of an occupational safety COVID-19 protection standard; and COVID-19 surveillance.
AHA especially applauded the plan’s “much-needed additional funding to significantly scale up vaccine distribution and administration,” the Association’s president and CEO Rick Pollack said in a statement.
Biden’s plan to bolster vaccination includes community vaccination centers and mobile vaccination units. It also clarifies that the vaccine will be available to all Americans, regardless of immigration status, and will provide coverage of the administration fee.
AHA also commended Biden’s proposals to side aside funding for COVID-19 testing and surveillance, as well as the purchase of PPE and other supplies, so hospitals and health systems can continue to protect their workforce and give COVID-19 patients access to therapeutics, Pollack said.
HEALTH COVERAGE PROVISIONS
In addition to the health system’s response to COVID, Biden’s plan also includes provisions that would impact healthcare coverage for Americans.
Two in five working-age adults did not have stable health coverage in the first half of 2020 because of job and coverage instability spurred on by the pandemic, the Commonwealth Fund reports. Without adequate coverage, providers face potentially greater uncompensated care costs, that is if sick patients even choose to come in for care without insurance.
Biden plans to close gaps in coverage by providing some level of COBRA subsidy through September 2021 and increasing the value of and eligibility for subsidies in the Health Insurance Marketplaces, ensuring enrollees will not pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for coverage.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) also highlighted Biden’s proposal to allocate $20 billion for care provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs and $4 billion to expand access to mental health and substance use disorder services.
HEALTHCARE INVESTMENTS
Some of the nearly $1.9 trillion in the COVID-19 relief plan will go toward healthcare. Chief among the healthcare investments is a $350 billion allocation in emergency funding to state, local, and territorial governments to support pandemic response efforts, including supporting front line public workers, distributing the vaccine, expanding testing, reopening schools, and maintaining other vital services.
The plan would also commit $20 billion to support tribal government responses to the pandemic.
Additionally, the plan calls for $4 billion for behavioral health resources and $800 million for programs that aim to reduce gender-based violence, the AHA highlighted.
We believe that this relief package will have a difficult time getting bipartisan support. However, given the current 50/50 Senate makeup a budget reconciliation process is a good Plan B to get some of these funds approved to help the country combat the COVID-19 virus.