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.  
 
The NAHU COVID-19 Relief Fund has been created to provide financial support to NAHU members and their families that have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial support could provide monetary assistance with out of pocket medical expenses, unanticipated funeral expenses, or other special circumstance COVID-19 related expenses for members in good standing and their legal dependents.
 
If you or fellow member has been impacted and you would like to apply for assistance, please click here. If you are in a position to make a contribution to help support your fellow NAHU member, we ask that you please donate here. These contributions are tax-deductible.
 
Congress
  • Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House will vote next week on the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act. The bipartisan legislation would provide Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) borrowers more than eight weeks to use the aid on payroll expenses and modify the percentage of aid required to be used on payroll expenses, as well as allow more than two years to pay back the loan.
  • Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act.
  • Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Boozman (R-AR), Angus King (I-ME), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Health Care Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act.
  • Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the bipartisan Save Our Rural Health Providers Act, which creates a new formula – otherwise known as the "Manchin Formula" – to ensure the Provider Relief Fund has a dedicated set-aside amount directed towards rural areas of America.
  • Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced legislation that would prevent individuals who are collecting enhanced federal unemployment compensation from losing access to financial assistance for the cost of premiums for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans.
  • Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation that would create a new fund to provide compensation for injuries to any individual, or their families, who are deemed an essential worker and required to leave their home to perform services and who have become ill or died as a result of COVID-19.
  • Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced legislation to protect seniors from scams during the coronavirus pandemic. 
  • Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mark Warner (D-VA), Doug Jones (D-AL), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Paycheck Security Act to cover wages and benefits of employees of affected businesses and non-profits.
  • Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced two bills to address vulnerabilities in the medical supply chain and increase capacity for domestic manufacturing of drugs and medical devices.
  • Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Right to Test Act, legislation to let states approve and distribute diagnostic tests when the state or federal government has declared a public health emergency.
  • Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the State and Municipal Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) Act to deliver critical, federal resources to states and communities on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight.
  • Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced new legislation to expand and enhance pandemic unemployment insurance.  
  • Representatives Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced legislation to temporarily remove the exception that prevents Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) from getting Medicaid support.
  • Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) introduced the At-Home Testing Prize Competitions Act, legislation designed to encourage the development of new COVID-19 testing.
  • Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) issued a press release emphasizing the importance of a long-term strategy for securing medical supply chains, following his introduction of the SAM-C Act and concurrent co-sponsorship of Rep. Hill's (R-AR) SAVE Act. 
  • Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced the COVID-19 Testing Inventory Act, which directs the federal government to compile and publicly share real-time information about testing supply inventory and shortages.
  • Representative Bill Flores (R-TX) introduced the Safe and Secure Medicine Supply for Hardworking Americans Act.
Administration 
  • President Trump issued an Executive Order on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery. The order directs agencies to "identify regulatory standards that may inhibit economic recovery" and address the "economic emergency by rescinding, modifying, waiving, or providing exemptions from regulations and other requirements that may inhibit economic recovery."
  • Vice President Pence announced five new members of the Coronavirus Task Force.
  • The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced a final rule that allows employers to offer bonuses or other incentive-based pay to employees whose hours vary from week to week.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a reminder to eligible providers that they have until June 3, 2020, to accept the Terms and Conditions and submit their revenue information to support receiving an additional payment from the Provider Relief Fund $50 billion General Distribution.
  • The Small Business Administration (SBA) released its Procedural Notice to Paycheck Protection Program lenders.
  • The SBA, in consultation with the Treasury Department, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application.  
  • The SBA, in consultation with the Treasury Department, updated its Paycheck Protection Program Loans FAQs, specifically Question 48.
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new guidance that details critical steps nursing homes and communities should take prior to relaxing restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including rigorous infection prevention and control, adequate testing, and surveillance.
  • CMS announced that Medicare will cover COVID-19 tests with no out-of-pocket costs.
  • NAHU submitted comments to the Small Business Administration this week in regards to temporary changes to the SBA's loan program prompted by the creation of the Paycheck Protection Program. We submitted two comment letters: one on the business loan temporary changes overall and one specifically dealing with affiliation rules for eligible borrowers.
States
  • Track where all 50 states stand on reopening here. 
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released resources to assist states to reopen.
  • CMS has approved over 200 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alaska, Iowa, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia.
Webinar
  • In the latest installment of our COVID-19 webinar series, David Smith, vice president of compliance and risk management for EbenConcepts, discussed the ways in which COVID-19 has impacted HIPAA, the ADA, the EEOC and more. Watch here.
  • The next installment in the series will be Wednesday, May 27, at a 1:00 PM Eastern, when Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Reform Initiatives at OneDigital Annette Bechtold and CEO of MZQ Consulting Jennifer Berman will go into detail about Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness. Register here.