Today we have received additional confirmation that the remaining Provider Relief Fund (PRF) is being considered as a source of revenue to pay for the bipartisan infrastructure package. We are calling on all senior living advocates to help amplify our message to oppose this effort. We anticipate that these negotiations will be finalized over the weekend and formal consideration may begin as soon as Monday, which means all outreach in the next 24 hours is critical. Please see several resources included here to voice strong opposition.
Congressional Contact List: Please use this draft letter and messaging below for outreach to Senate negotiators' staff. Contact information is available here.
White House Draft Letter: Please fill out this letter to the White House and send it back to Maggie Elehwany (Melehwany@argentum.org) or Kyle Loeber (Kloeber@argentum.org). We will package up and send directly to the White House.
Argentum Op-Ed in The Hill: We are including an op-ed by Argentum CEO James Balda with messaging you can use in your outreach.
Association Letter: Argentum, ASHA, AHCA/NCAL, and LeadingAge have all joined together in this letter to oppose any effort to use the remaining PRF as an infrastructure pay-for.
Don’t Use the Provider Relief Fund as an Infrastructure Pay-For: The war on COVID is not over. COVID cases in long-term care facilities are increasing daily. Assisted living caregivers, who care for our nation’s oldest and most fragile population, have already been left behind in federal relief from the PRF. Now, the vast majority operate at a loss and COVID losses continue to mount. These communities are on life support and in desperate need of PRF dollars. Using precious PRF dollars as a pay-for for a non-COVID related bill is irresponsible and short-sighted while a pandemic continues to rage. Argentum strongly urges Congress to not use the Provider Relief Fund as an infrastructure pay-for.
