Loeffler, Colleagues Urge HHS to Provide Funding for Children’s Hospitals Impacted by COVID-19

Children’s Hospitals Have Worked Tirelessly To Ensure Kids Receive Necessary Care During Pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to provide additional funding for children’s hospitals impacted by COVID-19. During the pandemic, children’s hospitals were required to halt elective procedures, and while some of these procedures have resumed, the financial impact on these facilities has been severe
 
“We respectfully request that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) move to quickly provide additional funding for children’s hospitals,” the senators write. “While, thankfully, COVID-19 has not affected nearly the number of children as adults, there are reasons to consider this additional funding…Despite differences in children and adults, children’s hospitals have been impacted financially with significant loss of revenue. Many children’s hospitals have had to resort to furloughs and lay-offs at a time when they are also preparing for possible increases in COVID-19 patients or more complex cases as a result of deferred care.”
 
The letter, led by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), was signed by 39 senators. Loeffler is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.