The National Association of Health Underwriters has been keeping informed about COVID-19 (coronavirus). Below are links to updates on legislation, regulation and guidance on both the federal and state levels in response to COVID-19. Please visit the coronavirus information section of the NAHU website for more resources.
 

Congress
  • President Trump signed into law H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which will add another $321 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program in addition to billions in funding for providers, testing and Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
  • Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced legislation aimed at hiring hundreds of thousands of new public health workers into a "Health Force" modeled after New Deal programs during the Great Depression. The bill would provide $55 billion per year to hire thousands of people who would help carry out testing, contact-tracing and eventually vaccinating to fight the coronavirus.
  • Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and John Barrasso (R-WY) announced they will be introducing their Bipartisan Rural Health Relief Act, which would provide relief to rural hospitals amid the pandemic by making them eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program created through the CARES Act.
  • Representatives Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Fred Upton (R-MI) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) introduced the Modernized Medicine Act to temporarily increase Medicaid reimbursement rates during a declared emergency if a state expands its telehealth services.  
  • Representatives Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Providing Protective Equipment (PPE) Act of 2020 to ensure that the United States has a properly stocked and maintained Strategic National Stockpile to combat future health crises.
  • Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) sent Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a letter regarding the reopening of Congress.
  • The 50-member, bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus released its Reopening and Recovery "Back to Work" Checklist, a multi-prong, data-driven proposal focused on reopening America safely and reigniting the economy.
  • Sixty members of the New Democrat Coalition sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy, asking House leadership to include policies in the next coronavirus stimulus bill to help communities start to reopen. Specifically, the group detailed proposals on testing, surveillance and contact tracing.
Administration
  • The Trump Administration issued a memorandum to the heads of executive agencies on reopening the federal government and aligning federal-agency operations with the national guidelines for Opening Up America Again.
  • The White House released a fact sheet titled "President Donald J. Trump Remains Committed to Providing Critical Relief for American Small Businesses, Workers and Healthcare Providers."
  • HHS announced additional allocations of the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund.
  • To facilitate lending to small businesses via the PPP, the Federal Reserve is working to expand access to its Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility (PPPLF) for additional SBA-qualified lenders as soon as possible.
  • The Treasury Department released the "Loan Application Form for Businesses Critical to Maintaining National Security."
  • Treasury published FAQs regarding the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
  • CMS released additional blanket waivers related to care for patients in long-term care hospitals, temporary expansion locations of rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers, staffing and training modifications in intermediate care facilities for individuals with Intellectual disabilities, and the limit for substitute-billing arrangements.
  • CMS issued new recommendations to reopen healthcare systems in areas with low Incidences of COVID-19.
  • The Treasury Department and IRS issued guidance that provides relief to individuals and businesses affected by travel disruptions arising from the COVID-19 emergency.
  • The IRS published new FAQs on sick and family leave.
  • The Department of Labor announced the end of the temporary period of non-enforcement of paid leave protections under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
States
  • NAHU has released COVID-19 State Fact Sheets that provide info on adopted social-distancing measures, health-policy action to reduce barriers to testing and treatment, and legislation that has been introduced in response to COVID-19. It can be found on the coronavirus information page under "State Resources."
  • CMS released a toolkit for states to help accelerate adoption of broader telehealth coverage policies in the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs during the pandemic.
  • CMS and the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response released a new toolkit to help state and local healthcare decision makers maximize workforce flexibilities when confronting COVID-19 in their communities.
  • The Treasury Department and the IRS released state-by-state figures for Economic Impact Payments, with 88 million individuals receiving payments worth nearly $158 billion in the program's first three weeks.
  • Treasury issued guidance regarding the Coronavirus Relief Fund for State, Territorial, Local and Tribal Governments.
  • COVID-19 has impacted states' CE and licensing requirements. Review this list of states to see if and how your state may currently be impacted. NAHU continues to provide superior online learning through the Online Learning Institute.
  • Track the spread of the coronavirus in the United States. 
Webinars
  • The next installment in the Compliance Corner COVID-19 Webinar Series will be Thursday, April 30, when members of the NAHU Compliance Corner Committee will answer the most frequently asked questions about everything COVID-19. Bring your compliance questions. Register here.