Senate companion to bipartisan bill to speed provider relief introduced

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, today introduced a Senate companion to the Provider Relief Fund Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation that would require the Health Resources and Services Administration to distribute the remaining Provider Relief Funds by March 31. It also would allow providers to use their allocated funds through the remainder of the COVID-19 public health emergency, including for workplace security and safety measures.   
 
“The Provider Relief Fund has been a life-line to hospitals, health systems and caregivers across the country, helping to keep our doors open during the pandemic in order to continue providing essential care to patients and communities,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, AHA senior vice president of federal relations, advocacy and political affairs. “The AHA thanks Senators Shaheen and Collins for leading this important bipartisan effort to extend the deadline for hospitals and other health care providers to use this funding. This legislation will help ensure we can continue to battle COVID-19 and save lives.”