Wednesday, May 20 Update
Our Federal Advocacy Team is dedicated to providing frequent COVID-19 updates as they develop. Going forward, these updates will be distributed as developments warrant instead of nightly. These updates along with other resources can be found on the COVID-19 Resource Center page of Hall Render’s website.
Note – we believe this is the most up-to-date information available at this time.
Congressional Outlook
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced today that lawmakers in that chamber will vote on a bill next week to put more flexibility into the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). While a copy of the legislation was not available at the time of this writing, it is anticipated to make the following changes:
- Allow businesses receiving PPP loans to use the funds to cover payroll expenses for more than eight weeks;
- Relax the provision that requires 75% of the loans be used for payroll expenses;
- Provide businesses more than two years to pay back the loans; and
- Allow businesses that receive PPP loans to receive a payroll tax deferment.
- Senator Marco Rubio, co-author of the PPP, indicated today the Senate could approve the measure by voice vote so that its members don’t have to return to Washington during the Memorial Day recess.
HRSA Provides $225 Million for COVID-19 Testing in Rural Communities
- The Health Resources and Services Administration announced the distribution of $225 million to Rural Health Clinics to support COVID-19 testing efforts and expand access to testing in rural communities.
CMS Issues Guidance on MAC COVID-19 Test Pricing
- CMS issued guidance stating that Medicare Administrative Contractors have authority to set payment amounts in their respective jurisdictions for COVID-19-related test claims.
CDC Releases Non-COVID-19 Care Framework
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued framework for providing non-COVID-19 clinical care during the pandemic.
For more information, please contact:
- John Williams III at (202) 370-9585 or jwilliams@wp.hallrender.com;
- Andrew Coats at (202) 370-9587 or acoats@wp.hallrender.com;
- Abby Kaericher at (202) 780-2989 or akaericher@wp.hallrender.com; or
- Your regular Hall Render attorney.
Hall Render’s attorneys and professionals continue to maintain the most up-to-date information and resources at our COVID-19 Resource page, through our 24/7 COVID‑19 Hotline at (317) 429-3900 or by contacting your regular Hall Render attorney.
Hall Render blog posts and articles are intended for informational purposes only. For ethical reasons, Hall Render attorneys cannot—outside of an attorney-client relationship—answer specific questions that would be legal advice.
