June 24, 2020 the Honorable Jim
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June 24, 2020 The Honorable Jim Hagedorn The Honorable Angie Craig U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives 325 Cannon House Office Building 1523 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Dean Phillips The Honorable Betty McCollum U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives 1305 Longworth House Office Building 2256 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Ilhan Omar The Honorable Tom Emmer U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives 1517 Longworth House Office Building 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Collin Peterson The Honorable Pete Stauber U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives 2204 Rayburn House Office Building 126 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Subject: Minnesota hospitals and health system request co-sponsorship of bipartisan legislation (H.R. 7292) related to the Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program Dear Minnesota members of the U.S. House: Thank you for your continued support for Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems during the COVID- 19 pandemic. This letter is a follow up to my April 30 letter to you regarding the Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In my letter, I asked that Congress convert the Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program to a grant. The house-passed Heroes Act (H.R. 6800) did include some helpful relief for those hospitals and health systems that took advantage of the Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program. That bill would extend the interest-free payment timeline and significantly lower the interest rate applied to payments that exceed the timeline. These revisions are much appreciated, but I recommend Congress take the next step and convert the loans to grants. Converting these loans to grants for all hospitals, or all hospitals that meet certain specified conditions, will allow these health care providers to better serve the needs of their patients and communities. Bipartisan legislation (H.R. 7292) converting certain Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program loans has been introduced recently. The legislation would allow hospitals that ensure the Advanced and Accelerated Payment Program funds are primarily used for front-line employee compensation to convert the loans to grants. Again, funds not used to repay a federal loan can be immediately converted to support patient care services throughout Minnesota. Again, I am grateful for the support that Congress has already provided and for your ongoing partnership through our regular calls. I appreciate your consideration of this request, which Minnesota’s hospitals and health systems consider important and urgently needed. Sincerely, Rahul Koranne, M.D., MBA, FACP President & CEO .