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Hospital reliefRep. Michael Waltz led a bipartisan effort by Florida’s House members to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to waive interest it can charge on emergency loans to Florida hospitals that extend the loans past deadlines.Florida Politics / April 28, 2020 Rep. Michael Waltz led a bipartisan effort by Florida's House members to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to waive interest it can charge on emergency loans to Florida hospitals that extend the loans past deadlines.
Waltz and 16 other Florida House members sent a letter over the weekend to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma to waive the 10.25% interest the centers can charge at some point on loans to hospitals authorized for the Medicare Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program, through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
They also asked Azar and Verma to waive the regular payment schedule for such emergency loans, giving hospitals more time to pay off the loans.
Or, at least, the House members requested the hospitals should be given more flexibility.
"Given the unprecedented circumstances of the current health crisis and the essential role of health care facilities and providers, we believe that accelerated and advanced payments should be interest-free loans with considerable repayment periods conducive to maintaining operations," they argued.
Joining Waltz in signing the letter were Republican Reps. Yoho, Gus Bilirakis, Neal Dunn, Diaz-Balart, Bill Posey, Francis Rooney, John Rutherford and Brian Mast; and Democratic Reps. Shalala, Soto, Murphy, Val Demings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Alcee Hastings, Frederica Wilson and Ted Deutch. |