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HHS CARES Act relief funds for hospitals and clinics

LBJ Medical Center  triage system in front of the hospital
Sources: Media release from Cong. Aumua Amata's office

Washington, D.C. —  Congresswoman Aumua Amata on Monday welcomed $766,000 for American Samoa’s medical providers through the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department in another appropriation resulting from the CARES Act.

This HHS assistance is part of COVID-19 relief for hospitals and clinics under the CARES Act’s Provider Relief Fund, and this payment does not require repayment or matching funds.

The $2 trillion bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020, includes $100 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus response. From this fund, this announcement is part of the first 30 percent distribution of that funding package to 500 hospitals and clinics nationally. This effort specifically supports healthcare-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19, and to ensure people can get testing and treatment for COVID-19 regardless of insurance or ability to pay.

“The CARES Act is a major appropriations response to so many needs arising from this effort,” Amata. “These funds are to offset mounting COVID-19 hospital costs, and help ensure patients wouldn’t be turned away over financial reasons.”

Within 30 days of receiving the payment, providers (hospitals, health centers or clinics) must sign an attestation confirming receipt of the funds and agreeing to the terms and conditions of payment. The portal for signing the attestation is expected to open later this week, the week of April 13, 2020. Subsequent distributions are also expected to focus on COVID-19 hot spots and providing for uninsured care. Details on these distributions is still forthcoming. (Providers can learn more here.)

Since Congress passed the coronavirus response legislative package, American Samoa has also welcomed several coronavirus grants from different federal agencies, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for $740,000 and $270,000; Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) for $745,000 and $58,000 — both agencies are part of HHS — as well as Housing and Urban Development (HUD), providing two grants totaling $800,000. Additionally, Congress increased the federal Medicaid share for the Territory to 89.2 percent.