The Trump administration allocated $12 billion in relief funding to the hospitals hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic as part of the $2 trillion relief package signed into law in March.
“Ten billion of the $12 billion will go toward hospitals treating 100 or more COVID-19 admissions,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Friday.
Hospitals in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois will receive the bulk of the funding as those states were worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak. The relief funding will also prop up hospitals that provide care to patients without insurance or who cannot afford to pay even with insurance.
“HHS is distributing an additional $2 billion to these 395 hospitals in proportion to the amount of care they provide to low-income and uninsured patients,” McEnany said.
The CARES Act, which President Trump signed into law March 27, set aside $100 billion to fund hospitals that have been close to capacity due to an influx of COVID-19 cases. Friday’s announcement is the third round of funding distributed to health centers. Health and Human Services has already allocated $50 billion to hospitals based on each healthcare providers’ share of total 2018 net patient revenue. Another $10 billion was sent to hospitals and health centers in virus hot spots, as well as $10 billion to rural health centers.
