#Relief bill full#

Advisers Question Keeping Medicare Telehealth Expansion Post-PandemicĪ significant and potentially enduring shift during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a rapid expansion of telehealth services. To further advance informatics capabilities, the bill includes an additional $500 million for CDC to modernize public health surveillance and analytics so that the agency can track hotspots for SARS-CoV-2 and other biological threats.

This section of the bill also specifically calls out the need to enhance and expand the informatics capabilities of public health departments. HHS must use the funds to build capacity through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state or local public health departments, with the aim of increasing their capacity to sequence genomes of circulating strains of “viruses and other organisms,” including SARS-CoV-2. In addition to the $47.8 billion for diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2, the bill appropriates $1.75 billion specifically for genomic sequencing and surveillance. HHS also can use the funds to award grants that sustain the public health workforce. The law also outlines investment in laboratory capacity for SARS-CoV-2 testing and enhancement of information technology to support data sharing related to public health. Part of that work must include providing technical assistance or grants to state and local health departments. The bill directs HHS to support the development, manufacturing, procurement, distribution, and administration of SARS-CoV-2 tests and supplies it also directs HHS to acquire, construct, or renovate facilities to produce diagnostic supplies as necessary to bolster the supply chain.Ĭongress also tasks HHS with implementing a national, evidence-based strategy for testing, contact tracing, and surveillance.

#Relief bill full#

While HHS has yet to release a full plan for exactly how all the funds will be spent and when, the bill outlines a number of key areas.Ī chief problem for clinical laboratories has been a shortage of nearly every kind of supply needed for testing. You can find more information on what industries will receive funding here.The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Biden on March 11 sets aside $47.8 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to spend on SARS-CoV-2 testing. Transit agencies, including Amtrak, and airlines will also receive boosts from the bill. More than $120 billion will be directed to K-12 schools throughout the United States. The measure will direct nearly $30 billion to restaurants.

5 What industries are targeted for help by the bill?Ī wide variety of industries will see funds coming from this bill, including hard-hit sectors of the economy like the restaurant industry and the travel industry. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be targeted toward community health centers.Īpproximately 7.6 million Illinois adults will qualify for relief checks from the government, with up to $10,200 in unemployment benefits also now tax exempt, according to the senators.Īn additional 2 million Illinois residents will also see an increase in SNAP benefits.įor more details on how the bill will help the state of Illinois, click here. Approximately $275 million will go toward distributing vaccines. Approximately $1.5 billion will go toward additional testing supplies and other public health funding. Some of that money will go towards making up for budget shortfalls at the state and local levels, while other funds will go directly toward fighting the COVID-19 pandemic: Of that money, an estimated $7.5 billion will go to the state government, with another $5.5 billion going toward lower levels of government. The state of Illinois stands to get a good deal of funding from the bill, with approximately $13.2 billion being sent to state, county and local governments as part of the stimulus package. 4 How will this bill benefit the state of Illinois? The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, which helps workers who don’t typically qualify for unemployment benefits, will also be extended until Sept. Families will be given up to $3,600 per child as a tax credit in the bill. The measure will also extend a $300-per-week unemployment insurance supplement through the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program. The bill will pay for laid-off workers to maintain their employer-sponsored health insurance through September. The bill has several key features that will be aimed at Americans hurt by the pandemic, including: What impact with the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill that passed Congress on Wednesday have on Chicago and the state of Illinois? Lauren Petty has details.ģ What other relief can Americans expect?