- Improvements to the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program,
- Increases to Medicaid and TRICARE payment rates to parity with Medicare,
- Direct financial support to physicians,
- Additional funding for small business loans,
- Requiring that ERISA plans cover the same telehealth services Medicare provides during the pandemic,
- Support for resident physicians and students, and
- Addressing the increased liability risk that physicians face.
In addition, the AAFP signed onto an effort in Congress led by Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), to add funding to the next COVID-19 legislation for mental health resources for doctors, nurses, and other health care workers. Rep. Krishnamoorthi is circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter in the House seeking to establish a Health and Human Services grant program to allow health care employers or facilities to confidentially assess and treat the mental health of those on the front lines of treating COVID-19 patients. Such a program would also fund a comprehensive study on health care worker mental health. The American Medical Association and the American College of Emergency Physicians are also supporting this effort.