Statement attributable to:
Jacqueline W. Fincher, MD, MACP
President, American College of Physicians
Washington, D.C. March 10, 2021 – The American College of Physicians (ACP) is pleased to see many provisions in the newly passed American Rescue Plan that will improve health care in the United States in the coming days, months, and years. The health of Americans and our health care system have been under incredible pressure over the past year as we have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. The health-related provisions in this new COVID-relief law will help relieve that pressure on both patients and physicians.
The American Rescue Plan will help with combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. It substantially increases funding for vaccines, including money to promote education and vaccine confidence. It provides money to improve testing and contact tracing, allowing us to better detect and monitor the spread of COVID-19. The bill will also require state Medicaid programs to fully cover COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, helping to better protect vulnerable populations who rely on Medicaid coverage.
The plan also seeks to improve health care in the United States related to not only COVID-19 but health in general as well. It will increase funds sent to states to expand Medicaid and it will extend Medicaid coverage for post-partum women an important move in the effort to improve maternal mortality rates. It provides funds to help improve access to health care coverage, critical in a time when so many have lost their health insurance. Provisions to provide subsidies and tax credits to help make enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans and COBRA coverage are critical to allowing many Americans to achieve health care coverage. Finally, the plan provides funding for health care services for our nation’s veterans and prohibits cost sharing and copayments for veterans during the Public Health Emergency caused by COVID-19.
Having faced and continuing to face so much worry about the health of our patients, our own personal health and what’s next for the state of health in America, seeing the actions that are being taken by Congress to address these issues is very promising. As physicians treating American residents on the frontlines of health care, ACP will continue to advocate for a fair and just health care system in United States.
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About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact: Taneishia Bundy, (202) 261-4523, tbundy@acponline.org