APA, Partner Groups Call for Action on COVID-19

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, APA has worked with its coalition partners to give specific recommendations on how federal and state governments can help patients and physicians on the front lines during the outbreak, urging swift action to help mitigate the spread of the disease.

Earlier in March when Congress was debating phases I, II, and III of COVID-19 legislation, APA and five other medical organizations representing more than 600,000 physicians and medical students sent a joint statement outlining numerous specific actions that state and federal governments should take to address the pandemic.

“During this unprecedented national emergency, our organizations are committed to doing everything possible to prevent and slow the spread of the virus while ensuring that patients get the care they need,” the statement reads. “However, they can’t do it alone; there are specific actions that federal and state governments can take now to support access to and coverage for COVID-19 treatment and prevention.”

Collectively known as the Group of Six, the organizations in addition to APA are the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Physicians, and American Osteopathic Association.

“The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and mental health of Americans will be long lasting and far reaching,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A. “With strong, immediate support from federal and state governments using science and medical experts to guide the response, we can slow the spread of this highly contagious virus and ensure patients receive the care they need.”

In the statement, the organizations praised some of the steps that Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration have taken so far, including the president’s declaration that COVID-19 is a national emergency under the Stafford Act and the passage of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (HR 6074) and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR 6201).

Yet they urged further action, as well. The organizations outlined several key policy actions that state and federal governments should implement to help ensure widespread coverage of and access to COVID-19 testing and treatment. The recommendations also highlight ways in which governments can support health care system capacity and availability of personal protection equipment (PPE).

Recommendations include the following:

• Congress, the administration, and state governments should continue to assess, fund, and increase the immediate and long-term availability of COVID-19 tests, as well as masks, PPE, and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies. Congress partially addressed this issue in each of the emergency supplemental funding in phases I, II, and III of the COVID-19 legislation, requiring health insurers to cover COVID-19 tests at no cost to patients and increasing funding for PPE and other medical equipment.

• Congress should appropriate at least $200 million to the Hospital Preparedness Program to bolster health care system emergency readiness. The CARES Act, phase III of COVID-19 legislation, included an additional $100 billion for hospitals and other health care facilities responding to COVID-19 through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. This funding could be used for hospital readiness, but it is unclear how these funds will be allocated given that this is new funding, not specifically designated for the Hospital Preparedness Program.

• Congress should additionally authorize funding for community health centers, community mental health centers, and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program. The CARES Act reauthorized and funded these programs through November 30, 2020.

• The administration should use national disaster relief funding to reimburse physicians at 110% of the Medicare rates for COVID-19–related care for people who are uninsured.

“People all over the country are struggling with the stress and anxiety this pandemic is causing,” said APA President Bruce Schwartz, M.D. “Congress, the administration, and the states must act decisively so the physicians on the front lines of the crisis can protect their patients’ and their own physical and mental health.” ■