The Texas Medical Association and six other large state medical associations are calling on U.S. Senate leaders to enact parts of a federal aid package to help physicians struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the associations urge the Senate to “prioritize the stability of our state-federal partnerships,” including additional Medicaid funding.
“While we appreciate the support Congress provided in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act with the temporary 6.2% increase in Medicaid matching funds for states, more help is needed for states and physicians to meet the increasing Medicaid enrollment demands and our patient’s health care needs,” the letter says.
TMA shared the document with Texas’ two senators: John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
The associations asked lawmakers to:
- Provide additional aid to the states to protect the health care workforce and to prevent irreversible health care cuts; and
- Increase Medicaid matching funds by 14% consistent with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (which has passed the U.S. House but is currently stalled in the Senate).
The letter, dated June 5, also calls for the federal Health and Human Services (HHS) Department to release Provider Relief Funds to Medicaid physicians immediately and to increase monies in the fund by another $100 billion. HHS on Tuesday announced that it will begin distributing those additional funds soon.
In addition, medicine urged that all federally regulated programs and plans – including ERISA (self-funded) employer-sponsored plans, Medicare Advantage, and TriCare for military families – pay for telemedicine and audio-only services.
Currently, federally regulated plans are not required to pay the in-person rate for telemedicine care.
“Giving physicians the capability to provide services to patients via telehealth and telephone is essential to preventing the spread of the virus to the public, vulnerable patients, physicians, and their staff,” the letter said. “However, many elderly and low-income patients either don’t have access to telehealth or experience difficulty navigating virtual visits with both audio and video capabilities. Therefore, it is essential that telephone visits also be covered and paid for at in-person rates by all payers.”
The letter also addresses the ongoing shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing, as well as barriers to contact tracing.
“We urge Congress to prioritize the production, distribution, and availability of PPE and testing, and accelerate efforts to conduct contact tracing,” medicine said. “All of these are essential to the safe reopening of medical practices and the economy and must be prioritized for all health care workers.”
Throughout the pandemic, TMA has called on state and federal leaders to allow flexibilities and expand programs in an effort to protect practices financially.
As always, check the TMA COVID-19 Resource Center regularly for up-to-date news and the latest TMA materials for your practice.