The CAP joined a coalition of health care groups urging federal lawmakers to pass legislation that would eliminate taxes on funds provided to health care professionals as part of COVID-19 relief. The coalition asked Congress to provide financial relief to pathologists who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic.
In 2020, Congress allocated $175 billion in financial relief to health care professionals through the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF). Without this vital funding, many health care practices would have closed due to financial pressures. In an April 19 letter to Reps. Cindy Axne (D-IA), Neal Dunn, MD, (R-FL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), co-sponsors of HR 2079, the Eliminating the Provider Relief Tax Penalties Act, the PHSSEF assistance is taxable, resulting in a 21% or more reduction to the benefit for taxpaying providers as compared to non-taxpaying providers, according to the coalition.
“The negative impact penalizes those who care for our nation’s most vulnerable,” the group writes. “The passage of HR 2079 would remove the negative tax implications for PHSSEF recipients by ensuring that all Provider Relief Fund assistance is not taxable while maintaining that expenses tied to this assistance are tax-deductible. The programmatic change is essential to continuing to support our members and their employees during this unprecedented national health crisis.”
The bill was introduced on March 19 and will be considered by the congressional committee and the full House before being sent to the Senate for consideration. The CAP joins more than 20 other medical associations in supporting the measure.