Health and Human Services (HHS) will distribute $15 billion in provider relief funds to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers including dentists that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs that have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation.
“These Medicaid and CHIP providers typically operate on thin margins and often include practitioners like dentists, pediatricians, assisted living facilities, and behavioral health providers like opioid treatment programs,” said Eric D. Hargan, deputy secretary of HHS, adding that they “may be struggling more than other providers during this crisis.”
The initial general distribution from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation provided payments to approximately 62% of all providers participating in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. The next distribution will target the remaining 38%, which HHS says includes several hundred thousand more providers.
Eligible clinicians may submit their annual patient revenue information to the enhanced Provider Relief Fund Portal to receive a distribution equal to at least 2% of reported gross revenues from patient care. This funding will support lost revenues or increased expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To be eligible, providers must not have received payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution and either have directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services between January 1, 2018, and May 31, 2020.
“We need to support these providers and the care they provide for COVID-19 patients, and we need to ensure they will be there as Americans return to seek more everyday medical services,” Hargan said.
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