HEALS Act: What physicians and medical students need to know

The AMA provides a summary of the "Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools Act” (HEALS Act). The HEALS Act is the next proposed coronavirus relief fund package.

For complete descriptions of each provision in the HEALS Act, download the AMA highlights of the Senate proposal, the HEALS Act (PDF).

The HEALS Act includes:

• American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act
• Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020
• Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act
• Restoring Critical Supply Chains and Intellectual Property Act
• Safeguarding America’s Frontline Employees to Offer Work Opportunities Required to Kickstart the Economy Act (SAFE TO WORK Act)
• Safely Back to Work and Back to School Act
• Supporting America’s Restaurant Workers Act
• Time to Rescue United States Trusts Act of 2020 (TRUST Act of 2020)

• Medicare accelerated and advance payment programs during COVID-19
• Public Health and Social Services emergency fund (CARES Act Provider Relief Fund)
• Liability limitations on health care providers
• Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) expanded to include 501(c)(6) entities.
• Other PPP improvements
• PPP second draw loans
• Enhanced employee hiring and retention payroll tax credit
• Safe and healthy workplace tax credit
• Authority to extend Medicare telehealth waivers
• Extension of ability for RHCs and FQHCs to serve as distant sites
• Additional workforce activities

• Additional workforce activities
• Amendments to education provisions of the CARES Act
• Foreign institutions
• In school student loan borrowers
• Perkins loans
• CARES Funds Not Income
• Financial aid and unemployment
• Program review criteria
• Notice on FASFA
• Department of Education funding
• Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund
• Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund
• Payment to school employees
• Public Health and Social Services emergency fund

• Simplifying student loan repayment
• Changes to the 7(a) loan guaranty program for recovery sector businesses
• Increased flexibility for borrowers to request increase in loan amount
• Small business investment company program
• Commitment authority and appropriations
• TANF Coronavirus Emergency Fund
• Medicare Part B premium and deductible levels held steady
• Temporary carryover for health flexible spending arrangements
• On-site employee clinics
• Liability limitations for coronavirus-related negligence
• Liability limitations for certain FDA regulated products
• Requirement to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) for the National Strategic Stockpile from domestic suppliers
• Sustained on-shore manufacturing capacity for public health emergencies
• Investment credit for qualifying medical personal protective equipment manufacturing projects
• Federal Research Security Council
• Centers for Public Health preparedness
• Telehealth plans
• Improving diagnostic test development
• Prohibition on use of human genetic information
• Improving and sustaining state medical stockpiles
• Strengthening the Strategic National Stockpile
• Guidance for states and Indian tribes on accessing the Strategic National Stockpile
• Workforce recovery and training services
• Modernizing infectious disease data collection
• Department of Veterans Affairs funding
• Additional funding for the Regan-Udall Foundation and Foundation for NIH
• Appropriations Provisions from Title VIII - Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020
  • • Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund
    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program management