UnityPoint Health Priorities in Year-end Omnibus and COVID Relief Package
In December, the legislative flood gates opened as Congress passed a nearly 6,000-page bill (H.R. 133) containing the federal budget as well as the next COVID relief package. After months of advocacy efforts, we were pleased to see multiple UnityPoint Health priorities within the bill. These included:
- Temporary freeze on Advanced APM thresholds through 2021 and 2022
- Clarify Provider Relief Fund flexibilities, including parent TIN flexibility for targeted distributions
- Extends deadline for State passthrough funds until December 31, 2021
- Delays Medicare sequestration payment reductions through March 31, 2021
- Extends the Medicare work geographic index floor through December 31, 2023
- Delays the Medicaid DSH payment reduction through Federal Fiscal Year 2023
- Adds funds to the COVID-19 Telehealth Program
- Increase funding for broadband deployment in rural areas
- Extends the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration for 5 years
- Authorizes a new designation for Rural Emergency Hospitals beginning in 2022
- Expands telehealth reimbursement for mental health services to certain existing patients
For an overview of select provisions of interest to UnityPoint Health, click here. If you have additional questions, please reach out to Cathy Simmons or Stephanie Collingwood.