Health Law Informer

On Friday, April 24th, President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (“Act”) into law that will send an additional $75 billion to the Public Health Emergency and Social Services Fund (“Fund”) used to reimburse eligible health care providers for health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to COVID-19. These funds will be in addition to the $100 billion previously appropriated to the Fund in the CARES Act. Of that $100 billion, the first $30 billion was distributed through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to health care providers proportionally, based on the providers’ share of total 2019 Medicare payments. HHS has outlined how the remaining $70 billion of the initial $100 billion Congress dedicated to the Fund in the CARES Act would be allocated to providers, with additional payments starting April 24^th. However, HHS has not published any additional guidance as to how the Act’s additional $75 billion will be allocated.

The CARES Act (“Act”) appropriates $100 billion to create a Public Health Social Service Emergency Fund (“Fund”) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus domestically and internationally for necessary expenses to reimburse, through grants or other mechanisms, eligible health care providers enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid who provide diagnoses, testing, or care for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID–19, for health care-related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus. Although the Act sets forth some high level qualifying criteria, the actual mechanism by which providers can apply for or request funds, or additional qualifiers for eligibility, if any, have not yet been released. To date, the Act notes that funds appropriated under this provision may be used for: