Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my bipartisan amendment urging the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, to provide a complete accounting of unpaid and partially paid claims by the COVID-19 Uninsured Program, as well as an accounting of how funding from various pandemic-era laws have been used to pay claims generated by providers under this program since it began. The amendment also presses HRSA to provide a plan for the payment of remaining legitimate claims that were made under this program. The COVID-19 Uninsured Program provided reimbursement for claims submitted by healthcare providers who provided testing, treatment, and vaccination services for uninsured individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2022, HRSA closed the program and provided little notice or time to submit claims for services already provided under that program. I have heard from providers in my home State of Utah who are owed funds by the administration for services performed prior to the program's closure. Providers that submitted legitimate claims should be compensated for these medical services. I also believe that Congress must continue to provide robust oversight on this program and other pandemic-era laws to ensure funds were used appropriately and in line with congressional intent. For example, a July 2023 HHS OIG report estimated that nearly 19 percent of the uninsured program payments made on behalf of 3.7 million patients were improper.…”