Press Releases

SPRINGFIELD, MA—U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar requesting HHS address inequities in their initial distribution of funding from CARES Act to ensure hospitals on the frontlines of the COVID-19 epidemic are receiving the funds they need to deliver high-quality care. Massachusetts received nearly $1 billion from the initial disbursement, but the current distribution short-changed many essential community hospitals that do not have a large Medicare fee-for-service revenue base, such as Holyoke Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center. In the letter, Neal outlined how the state should be doing more testing than it is currently able to do to mitigate the risk of overwhelming the health care system.

“While the Commonwealth has done a commendable job preparing for and managing resources in this incredibly difficult time, the state cannot backfill the excess costs and lost revenue that the COVID epidemic has caused,” Neal wrote. “Our Massachusetts providers are on the front lines of the fight. It is imperative that hospitals that treat the most vulnerable patients, Medicaid patients, cancer patients, and children with serious illnesses, have the resources they need to treat and care for Massachusetts patients expeditiously.”

The full text of the letter can be found HERE.

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