Hospitals and providers are urging HHS to distribute billions of dollars that remain in a $178 billion COVID-19 relief fund intended for healthcare providers.
In a May 10 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, nine provider groups, including America's Essential Hospitals and the American Hospital Association, called on the federal government to release remaining money in the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and extend the date it has to be used by. Currently, hospitals and providers have until June 30 to use the funds.
"Our facilities continue to treat tens of thousands of patients and intensive care unit capacity is still high in some parts of the country. We anticipate financial challenges will persist for America's hospitals and health systems, with more financial impact expected due to the pandemic," the groups said in the letter.
As of March 1, there were $24 billion in unused funds in the Provider Relief Fund.