MN Senators Urge Biden Administration to Release PRF Funds Immediately

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Matt Steele

Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith joined a group of 43 senators urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to distribute the funds remaining in the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and other health care relief programs.

HHS has completed three phases of releasing monies totaling $138 billion through the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to health care providers struggling to overcome the financial challenges of the pandemic. Several provider sectors are now pressuring President Biden to quickly release the remaining $40 billion in the PRF fund as more deal with increasing recovery challenges, mainly related to the onset of the Delta variant.

Last Thursday, 43 senators signed a letter urging the Biden administration to update its plans for distributing the remaining PRF money. Notably, the letter highlights how senior care organizations have thus far been underrepresented in previous distributions. In addition to the request to clarify how the administration will allocate the funds, the senators also emphasized the importance of the administration detailing projected time frames for planned distributions. The letter concluded with an urgency to release the funds as soon as possible, given the challenges the health care providers face.

Take Action
With this additional push from Congress to see the PRF funds released, it is now more important than ever to make our voices heard on behalf of long-term care provider organizations. If you haven’t already, there is still time to get involved and jump into the final week of the #ReleasethePRF campaign. Visit the Standing with Seniors website, and click on the "Help Today" button in the upper right-hand corner to see how you can be a part of the vital movement to Release the PRF.