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- Senate Passes $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Bill; Several CAP-Backed Provisions Move Forward
The latest congressional COVID-19 relief package advanced with the Senate voting 50-49 on March 6 after several hours of debate and amendments. Since the legislation changed from what had been previously approved by the House, the bill will be taken up again in the House where it is expected to pass over the next few days. The CAP had advocated for several health care provisions related to pathology and ensuring access to testing for patients.
The $1.9 trillion legislative package adopted by the Senate retained many of the House's health care provisions and was supported by the CAP. These provisions include:
- More than $46 billion for testing programs.
- Additional support to expand medical supply production.
- More funding for vaccine distribution.
Once the bill is signed into law, the Department of Health and Human Services would receive the $46 billion for testing programs. Language in the legislation states the HHS would use the money for its national strategy for testing and contact tracing programs.
Senators also added $8.5 billion in assistance for health care providers in rural areas, $350 billion in aid for state and local governments, and allocated $130 billion to reopen schools. Finally, the legislation has significant enhancements to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These provisions include:
- Extending the ACA subsidies to higher-income people who do not currently qualify for 2021 and 2022.
- Increasing the ACA subsidies for lower-income people who already qualify for 2021 and 2022.
- Providing additional ACA subsidies for individuals that receive unemployment benefits in 2022.
These enhancements are aimed at expanding access to health insurance and affordability to the ACA marketplace.