The Provider Relief Fund is at the heart of the elderly living and long-term care organization, which is rallying for additional financial support and resources for the long-term care sector, which they say is in a “critical and vulnerable time”.
On Tuesday, the American Medical Association / National Center for Supporting Life sent a letter to Congressional leaders outlining specific requests to provide resources to support living communities and nursing homes to address ongoing pandemic challenges. I did.
Specifically, AHCA / NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson called for a supplement to the Long-term Care Relief Fund and allocated $ 20 billion to long-term care. That’s $ 10 billion each for a living support community and a skilled care facility.
“Nursing homes and supported living communities face the worst unemployment of all health professionals, and shortages are impacting access to care for older people,” Parkinson wrote. “PRF funding was helpful, but not enough.”
According to the CEO, the distribution of the Phase 4 Provider Relief Fund was unfair and covered only the losses incurred by the first quarter of 2021. He said additional assistance was important to cover the losses in the remaining three quarters of 2021.
Chronic government funding shortages, coupled with labor recruitment challenges, have been exacerbated by the global crisis, forcing long-term care facilities to limit or close hospitalizations, Parkinson said. Elderly life and care operators are in a “historic labor crisis” with labor levels at their lowest levels in 15 years, losing a total of more than 400,000 caregivers since the pandemic began. He added that he was facing.
Parkinson also told the Department of Health and Human Services to extend public health emergencies until the end of this year, maintaining exemptions, flexibility in the state’s Medicaid policy, and an increased proportion of federal health care assistance to the state. Encouraged.
“PHE ensures that our healthcare industry, including long-term care, has the policies and resources needed to deal with this ongoing pandemic,” Parkinson wrote. “It’s not time to end the important support and flexibility needed to fight the virus, and we want to get help from MPs in this regard.”
Argentum aims to provide state funding and bail out COVID
Meanwhile, during Wednesday’s Argentum Advocates policy update call, members heard updates on provider relief fund status, potential new COVID-19 relief packages, labor challenges, and state funding availability. ..
Kyle Loeber, Argentum Public Policy Manager, said the provider relief fund has virtually exhausted all remaining funds, shifting the last $ 17 billion of unallocated dollars in January to cover the cost of the COVID vaccine. I confirmed.
Argentum was “extremely disappointed” with the shift in funding, Loeber said, leaving no additional relief to help front-line providers with pandemic costs incurred since the second quarter of 2021. Added.
Argentum is working with Congressional allies to replenish provider relief funds through a new federal budget or divert funds from previous relief packages to the elderly living and long-term care industry, he said.
The organization also supports several legislative efforts, including:
State funding
The US Rescue Planning Act included $ 195.3 billion for the state government to use in its own discretion, but many states are investing, Labor said. He said the dollar has maximum flexibility and the state is encouraged to directly fund COVID-19 mitigation efforts and support the industries most hit by the crisis.
Several states that have used ARPA funds to provide relief to the elderly’s living sector, including:
- Michigan has allocated $ 70 million to a grant program to cover pandemic costs and provide financial relief to the elderly living community.
- Minnesota has allocated $ 3.5 million to create a workforce development program to hire, train, and deploy at least 1,000 new certified nursing assistants.
- Montana has allocated $ 5.5 million to create a one-time childcare scholarship program for healthcare professionals, including those employed in supported living communities.
- New Jersey has allocated $ 329 million to expand its home and community-based Medicaid services under the NJ FamilyCare program.
- North Carolina has allocated $ 87 million for certified care workers’ personal protective equipment, inspections, communications equipment, and wages and bonuses for direct care workers.
