Senate Democrats Ask HHS to Direct Emergency Funds to Medicaid Providers

Twelve Democratic Senators who serve on the Senate Finance Committee, including Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting that HHS direct funds to Medicaid providers confronting the COVID-19 outbreak.

Specifically, the letter called for money from the Public Health and Social Services Fund, created by the CARES Act, to “take the following factors into account: (1) providers left out by the methodology applied in the first distribution of funds, such as Medicaid-dependent safety net providers, and those with variable payer mix, including Medicare Advantage; (2) the impact of lost revenue as a result of a moratorium on elective care; (3) the burden on community-based organizations providing routine care essential to keeping patients at home; and (4) the severity of the outbreak in a geographic area.” The letter also calls for greater transparency around the decision-making process surrounding these funds.

This request lends validation to ANCOR’s continued efforts to obtain funding designated for intellectual / developmental disability (I/DD) supports, many of which are on the frontlines of combating the outbreak. Please use our action tool to join your voice to ours.