HHS Disburses $4.9 Billion in Emergency Funds to Skilled Nursing Facilities But Not Medicaid Providers

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced its latest tranche of funding from the Public Health & Social Services Emergency Fund, initially established on March 27 when the CARES Act was signed into law by President Trump. The funding announced today includes $4.9 billion for Skilled Nursing Facilities, and unfortunately does NOT include Medicaid-funded providers of community-based disability services.

With today’s announcement from HHS, the Department has distributed or committed about $87 billion of the $175 billion appropriated by Congress to the Public Health & Social Services Emergency Fund. It is unconscionable that in the eight weeks since the passage of the CARES Act, HHS has not found a way to deliver financial support to ANCOR members and other community providers, whose essential workforce is on the frontlines of our national response to the coronavirus pandemic.

We are confident that eventually, HHS will do right by community providers, but each day the Department waits is another day that the pandemic takes its toll on the lives and well-being of the vulnerable people supported by the ANCOR community. Further delay could be catastrophic, and we cannot afford to wait any longer.

Given this situation, your continued advocacy is more essential than ever. We believe that, absent the pressure of Congressional oversight, we may not be successful in convincing HHS to prioritize distribution of emergency relief resources to Medicaid-funded providers of disability services. Therefore, please take action today to ask your members of Congress to sign a Congressional letter pressuring HHS to immediately allocate Emergency Fund dollars to providers like you. You can take action in 60 seconds or less by using our one-click advocacy tool.