Late yesterday, Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) sent a letter to HHS Secretary Becerra urging equitable relief for senior living providers, and were joined by 57 other members of Congress (34 Democrats and 23 Republicans). This was an exceptional bipartisan show of support from Congress and accompanies the Senate letter led by Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) that drew a full quarter of the chamber (11 Democrats and 14 Republicans). Both Representative Spanberger and Senator Sinema issued press releases (House, Senate) to highlight the strong show of support on this issue.
These letters were a result of Argentum's continued work with Senators Sinema and Collins and Representatives Spanberger and Gonzalez on these issues, and follow an amendment that was drafted as part of the debate of the American Rescue Plan that, had the amendment passed, would have enumerated assisted living and other senior congregate care settings as specifically eligible for additional provider relief. Argentum has long advocated for additional provider relief to offset the more than $15 billion incurred by providers just last year (and continuing to compound).
Argentum will be leveraging the broad bipartisan support from these letters in our ongoing outreach to the Biden Administration, including HHS Secretary Becerra and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to relay the needs of the senior living industry and advocate for targeted provider relief funds. Argentum has also sent a letter to Secretary Becerra immediately following his Senate confirmation,
We thank Argentum Advocates members for your continued outreach to your Senators and member of Congress asking for their support on these letters, especially those who personally reached out to lawmakers and staff. We will continue to keep you updated on our progress with HHS, HRSA, and more broadly the Biden Administration to secure additional relief.