COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund: Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Services to the Underinsured

The COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund provides reimbursements on a rolling basis directly to eligible health care entities for costs associated with administering COVID-19 vaccines to underinsured individuals, who are defined for this purpose as having a health plan that either does not include COVID-19 vaccine administration as a covered benefit or covers COVID-19 vaccine administration but with cost-sharing. The program funding information is as follows: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136), appropriated $100 billion to reimburse eligible health care providers for health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to coronavirus.

The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act or PPPHCEA (P.L. 116-139) appropriated an additional $75 billion for relief funds, and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act appropriated an additional $3 billion. HRSA established the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to administer payments to eligible providers. A portion of the PRF funds are being used to provide reimbursement to providers for administering Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized COVID-19 vaccines under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or FDA-licensed COVID-19 vaccines under a Biologics License Application (BLA) to underinsured individuals.