On June 1, ACEP sent another letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar about the distribution of the Provider Relief Fund, the $175 billion pot of funding appropriated by Congress to cover health care providers’ lost revenues and increased expenses due to COVID-19. This letter follows up on previous letters we sent on March 27, April 3, and April 14 to the HHS Secretary. In the most recent letter, we reiterate our previous request for $3.6 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to be specifically allocated towards emergency medicine groups and to the emergency physicians who practice within them. Thus far, we estimate that emergency physician groups have received approximately 7 to 15 percent of the initial $3.6 billion request. We ask that HHS reserve a portion of the $75 billion that Congress provided in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act to cover the remaining balance of the $3.6 billion request.
Emergency physicians should NOT be worried about keeping the ED doors open or having enough PPE and supplies to effectively and safely do their jobs. EVERY emergency physician and emergency physician group needs to be supported during this difficult time. We need American’s health care safety net to be fully functional both now and in the future as our country begins to reopen.
For the safety and well-being of the American public, emergency physicians must be supported and protected.
Visit our COVID-19 Financial Support advocacy page to stay updated on the Provider Relief Fund and other financial support options.
Related Resources:
- COVID-19 Financial Survival Guide
- Democratic Group Practice Strategies to Financially Survive the COVID-19 Crisis
