About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (November 03, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdcme0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servik COVID-19 and the Uninsured: Federal Funding Options to Pay Providers for Testing and Treatment Updated November 3, 2020 Congress enacted provisions to increase access to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing and treatment (including, for some programs, an eventual vaccine) under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA; P.L. 116-127), as amended by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136). Separately, Congress provided funding to support testing infrastructure in the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPHCEA; P.L. 116-139). In addition, these laws appropriated funding to government agencies that provide health services (e.g., the Department of Veterans Affairs) and for specific health providers (e.g., health centers). These laws largely focus on COVID-related modifications for individuals who have public or private health care coverage; however, this Insight discusses federal funding options under these laws that can be used to pay providers for COVID-19-related testing and treatment for uninsured individuals through funding distributed under an administrative construct referred to as the Uninsured Fund (UF) and a newly created Medicaid option for testing. Testing Congress provided additional funding for health centers, which are obligated to provide care to all individuals regardless of their ability to pay, to expand access to testing for uninsured individuals. It also appropriated $1 billion in both FFCRA and PPHCEA to reimburse providers for diagnostic and antibody testing and for associated costs (e.g., specimen collection), which is being administered as the UF. Under the UF, providers must seek reimbursement for testing uninsured individuals, where uninsued is defined in FFRCA as individuals who are not c overed by a federal health program or are not enrolled in spec ified types of private health insurance coverage. Except in a few instances (e.g., testing sites supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) providers are not obligated to seek reimbursement from the UF). However, those that do must comply with certain terms and conditions that include accepting the fund's reimbursement, at the Medicare rate, as full payment. These requirements may mean that some providers will instead choose to pursue payment from individuals, which may be higher than the Medicare rate. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11526 CRS NSIGHT Prepared for Menbersand Commi ----es o Cong rss----------------------------------

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most