AAMC Statement on Ensuring Care for the Uninsured During the COVID-19 Crisis

AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, issued the following statement about the presidential proposal to divert resources from the emergency health care provider relief fund:

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s academic medical centers and their dedicated health professionals have been committed to mounting a vigorous response, which includes providing quality care to any patient affected by this public health emergency, including the under- and uninsured.

The nation’s medical schools, teaching hospitals, and faculty physicians see first-hand how this pandemic is affecting the uninsured. As safety-net providers, these institutions care for a disproportionate number of vulnerable patients, including under- and uninsured and Medicaid patients. We urge the administration to use tools already at its disposal to ensure that every single individual has access to affordable and comprehensive coverage—such as immediately opening up a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and/or subsidizing COBRA coverage for people who have lost their job as part of the COVID-19 crisis, as the government has done in the past.

The emergency health care provider relief fund established by the CARES Act was not intended for this purpose. We strongly oppose the administration’s proposal to divert resources intended to support the hospitals and physicians on the frontlines of this crisis when other remedies are available for uninsured patients.” 

The AAMC is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health care through innovative medical education, cutting-edge patient care, and groundbreaking medical research. Its members comprise all 155 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 80 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC serves the leaders of America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and their 173,000 faculty members, 89,000 medical students, 129,000 resident physicians, and more than 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences. Additional information about the AAMC and its member medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org.