Updates & Analysis

State Updates Governor Cuomo Extends School Closures, Seeks Targeted Info on New COVID-19 Hospitalizations Today (May 1st), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that the slow but steady decline in new COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths continues. In order to develop a targeted strategy for reducing the number of new hospitalizations, the…

Federal Updates CMS Issues New COVID-19 Regulatory Waivers  Today, CMS released a new set of waivers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak creating more regulatory flexibilities for Medicare providers, retroactive to March 1st. These waivers will: Add new services to the list of Medicare eligible telehealth services that may be provided with audio-only technology. This…

RISA Timeframes Extended During COVID-19 Emergency Today (April 29th), the Department of Labor (DoL) and Department of the Treasury released a final rule to extend the timeframe for covered persons’ rights to enroll in or continue health coverage under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). This guidance applies to ERISA-covered group health plans, disability…

State Updates Governor Cuomo Announces Regional Reopening Requirements Today (April 28th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced the development of the “NY Forward Reopening Advisory Board,” which will be comprised of over 100 business, community, and civic leaders who will help guide the State’s reopening strategy (a full list of members…

State Updates Governor Cuomo Announces New Antibody and Diagnostic Testing Efforts, Plans for Reopening Today (April 27th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that the statewide COVID-19 antibody survey had tested 7,500 New Yorkers. Based on the increased sample size, the infection rate is now estimated at 14.9% (up from 13.9%).…

Federal Updates President Trump Signs Increased CARES Act Funding for Small Businesses and Health Providers On April 24th, President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266), the “interim” COVID-19 relief bill, which provides $484 billion of further economic relief for businesses and health care providers. This package will replenish…

State Updates Governor Cuomo Announces Nursing Home Investigations, Preliminary Results of Statewide Antibody Testing Today (April 23rd), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that while total hospitalizations and intubations continue to decrease, new hospitalizations per day and deaths per day remain relatively flat, with yesterday having 1,359 new hospitalizations and 431…

Federal Updates HHS Announces Further Details on Allocation of $100 Billion CARES Act Provider Funding Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new information on how the $100 billion provider relief funding included in the CARES Act will be distributed. Of this pool, $30 billion has already been distributed, proportional to providers’…

Federal Updates Congress Reaches Deal to Increase Funding for Small Businesses and Health Care Providers by Nearly $500 billion Today (April 21st), the Senate passed a bill by voice vote that will amend the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide further economic relief for businesses and health care providers affected by…

State Updates Governor Cuomo Forms Task Force on Reopening the Economy, Announces Statewide Antibody Testing Today (April 20th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that total COVID-19 hospitalizations have ticked down slightly, while new hospitalizations and COVID-19-related deaths remain relatively flat. Addressing next steps for “reopening” the economy, the Governor announced…

Governor Cuomo Discusses Reopening Plan and Efforts to Increase Testing Capacity Today (April 17th), Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he announced that the observed plateauing of the COVID-19 outbreak continues, as total COVID-19 hospitalizations have again decreased slightly but new hospitalizations per day remain roughly flat. Addressing the “reopening” of New York…