Bennet, Blackburn Lead HHS Flexibility Request for Hospitals Accessing Provider Relief Funds
On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, requesting greater flexibility for U.S. hospitals to access provider relief funds by allowing for an extension of spending and repayment deadlines.
In the letter, the group of senators indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated workforce shortages, requiring hospitals to hire temporary nurses and respiratory therapists from staffing agencies, which more than doubles labor costs.
To better offset the cost of staffing, the letter requests that the administration waive existing salary caps that restrict some hospitals from accessing COVID-19 relief funding for workforce expenses, and extend spending deadlines and reporting timelines for provider relief fund recipients.
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