U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Public Health Response: $46 billion is provided in funding to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to detect, diagnose, trace, monitor, and mitigate COVID-19 infections. Specified activities include:
- Implementing a national strategy for testing, contact tracing, surveillance, and mitigation;
- Providing technical assistance, guidance, support, and grants or cooperative agreements to States, localities, and territories for activities to detect, diagnose, trace, monitor, and mitigate COVID-19 infections;
- Supporting the development, manufacturing, procurement, distribution, administration of tests, including supplies necessary for administration such as personal protective equipment (PPE);
- Establishing and expanding federal, State, local, or territorial testing and contact tracing capabilities, including investments in laboratory capacity, community-based testing sites, and mobile testing units – particularly in medically underserved areas;
- Enhancing IT, data modernization, and reporting; and
- Awarding grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts with local, State, and territorial public health departments to establish, expand, and sustain a public health workforce; and to cover administrative and program support costs.
Per initial analysis, all funding from this account to support state and local capacity, will largely be suballocated from HHS directly to States for further and varied distribution.
Public Health Workforce: $7.66 billion is provided to HHS to establish, expand, and sustain a public health workforce, including by making awards to local, state, and territorial public health departments for costs, including wages and benefits, related to the recruiting, hiring, and training of individuals to serve as case investigators, contact tracers, social support specialists, community health workers, public health nurses, disease intervention specialists, epidemiologists, program managers, laboratory personnel, informaticians, communication and policy experts, and any other positions as may be required to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. Funds may also be used to pay for staff employed by health departments or nonprofit organizations that have experience partnering with health departments. Lastly, funds may also be used to support PPE, data management and other technology, or other necessary supplies and administrative costs and activities necessary to implement activities.
Childcare and Development Block Grant Program: $39 billion in funding includes $14.99 billion for agencies to provide child care, $23.98 billion to aid child care providers affected by Covid-19 and $35 million for administrative costs.
Head Start: $1 billion is provided to support Head Start programs.
Additional CDC Funding: $7.5 billion in funding is provided to CDC to support vaccine-related activities to prepare, promote, distribute, administer, monitor, and track COVID-19 vaccines. This includes funding for activities related to enhancing, expanding, and improving distribution and administration, and activities related to the distribution of ancillary medical products and supplies related to vaccines. This section also provides guidance, support, and awards to local, State, Tribal and territorial public health departments for enhancement of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration capabilities. Per initial analysis, all funding from this account to support state and local vaccine efforts, will also largely be suballocated from CDC directly to States for further and varied distribution.
Research and Development: $5.2 billion is provided to the Secretary of HHS to support research, development, manufacturing, production, and purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, and ancillary medical products and supplies.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse: The legislation provides a total of roughly $4 billion to various federal programs to expand and support behavioral and mental health services for many persons impacted by the current public health emergency. This includes $1.5 billion in funding to SAMSHA’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant program, $1.5 billion for the SAMSHA’s Community Mental Health block grant program, $420 million for certified community behavioral health clinics, $280 million for programs that support mental and behavioral health and prevent burnout among health care providers and public safety officers, $120 million for Indian Health Service mental and behavioral health prevention and treatment programs, $100 million for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) mental health services, and $80 million specifically for the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program at HRSA.
Health Surveillance and Data Modernizations: $500 million is provided to CDC to support health data surveillance and analytics infrastructure modernization initiatives and to establish, expand, and maintain efforts to modernize the United States disease warning system to forecast and track hotspots for COVID-19, its variants, and emerging biological threats, including academic and workforce support for analytics and informatics infrastructure and data collection systems.
Supporting Public Health Volunteers and Strengthening Response: $852 million is provided to the Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Service Trust to support an increase in AmeriCorps volunteers to respond to communities impacted by COVID-19. The legislation also provides $100 million to the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) to support the national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of communities. Lastly, the legislation provides $200 million to support the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program and includes a separate $800 million in funding for the National Health Service Corps, including $100 million for its State Loan Repayment Program to foster growth in the public health workforce.
Community Health Centers: $7.6 billion is provided to support COVID-19 response at federally qualified health centers (FQHC). This includes funding:
- to plan, prepare for, promote, distribute, administer, and track COVID–19 vaccines, and to carry out other vaccine-related activities;
- to detect, diagnose, trace, and monitor COVID–19 infections and related activities necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID–19, including activities related to, and equipment or supplies purchased for, testing, contact tracing, surveillance, mitigation, and treatment of COVID–19;
- to purchase equipment and supplies to conduct mobile testing or vaccinations for COVID–19, purchase and maintain mobile vehicles and equipment to conduct such testing or vaccinations, and to hire and train laboratory personnel and other staff to conduct such mobile testing or vaccinations, particularly in medically underserved areas;
- to establish, expand, and sustain the health care workforce to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID–19, and to carry out other health workforce-related activities;
- to modify, enhance, and expand health care services and infrastructure; and to conduct community outreach and education activities related to COVID–19. Additionally, future awardees may use amounts awarded for any of the above eligible activities going back to January 20, 2020.
Supporting Older Americans: $1.4 billion is provided to support various programs authorized by the Older Americans Act to support community-based and in-house services for older adults struggling during the pandemic.
Medicaid: Requires Medicaid coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and treatment without beneficiary cost-sharing with vaccines matched at a 100% federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) through one year after the end of the public health emergency. The legislation also provides Medicaid eligibility, for five years, to incarcerated individuals 30 days prior to their release.
Children’s Health Insurance Program: Requires CHIP coverage of COVID-19 vaccines and treatment without beneficiary cost sharing with the vaccines and the administration of vaccines matched at a 100 percent FMAP through one year after the end of the pandemic. Additionally, the legislation included a provision that will allow states, for five years, to extend CHIP eligibility to women for 12 months postpartum.
LIHEAP: $4.5 billion in additional funding is provided to HHS’ Office of Community Services’ (OCS) for home energy assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) program.
Water Assistance: $500 million in additional funding is provided to OCS’ recently authorized Water Assistance Program. This funding is allocated to States and provides financial assistance to low-income consumers and other consumers adversely affected financially by COVID-19 to assist with payments for drinking water and wastewater expenses.