WASHINGTON – Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) and Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) have sent a bipartisan letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for a significant influx of funding to help those in hospitals and health systems on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak in the next supplemental spending package that is currently being negotiated. Joyce and Quigley had 42 other members from both sides of the aisle join them in this effort.

“The full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have yet to be felt, but already many hospitals and health care systems are facing staffing and bed challenges, an ever-increasing demand for testing, an influx of critically ill patients and a dwindling supply of medical equipment needed to care for these patients,” Joyce and Quigley said in the letter. “If we do not act, the nation could see a series of hospital closures during our time of greatest need.”

 

You can find the text of the full letter here and below.

 

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Leader Schumer & Leader McConnell,

 

In these unprecedented times, Congress must act boldly and swiftly to ensure America’s hospitals and health systems have the resources they need to bend the trajectory of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Reporting indicates that hospitals are working relentlessly to surge capacity and brace for an influx of COVID-19 patients. The brave front line health care providers – including hospitals, health systems, physicians and nurses – must receive a quick infusion of funding so they can take the necessary steps to combat COVID-19. The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, and American Nurses Association, in consultation with hospitals around the country, have determined $100 billion in direct funding to hospitals and health systems will be a necessary part of the next COVID-19 spending package. In order to meet the rapidly rising demands placed on our nation’s healthcare system, we urge substantial direct funding to hospitals and health systems.

 

The nation’s hospitals and health systems stand as our first line of defense against this unprecedented crisis. The expenses associated with responding to this crisis will be extraordinary, creating a significant cash flow problem. The full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have yet to be felt, but already many hospitals and health care systems are facing staffing and bed challenges, an ever-increasing demand for testing, an influx of critically ill patients and a dwindling supply of medical equipment needed to care for these patients. If we do not act, the nation could see a series of hospital closures during our time of greatest need.

 

While we appreciate the desire to provide relief to other sectors of the economy in current and future COVID-19 spending legislation, the nation will not be able to function without a stable health care system. Congress must act now to provide our health care providers with the resources needed to meet the challenges we are facing today.

 

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