Senate leaders have recently announced that Congress has reached a deal on an additional COVID-19-driven funding package, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. This recent funding package replenishes a loan program for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, but also includes funding related to COVID-19 testing.

Dubbed CARES 3.5, this deal allots $25 billion for COVID-19 testing-related items. Of this $25 billion, some of the funds are allocated as follows:

• $11 billion for states, localities, territories, and tribes to develop, purchase, administer, process, and analyze tests, scale up laboratory capacity, trace contacts, and support employer testing
  • Of this $11 billion, $2 billion will be for states through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant formula so that every state will receive funding.
  • $4.25 billion will be distributed based on relative number of cases.
• $1 billion for the CDC for surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity expansion, contract tracing, public health data surveillance, and analytics infrastructure modernization
• $1.8 billion for the NIH for testing and associated technologies; accelerating research, development, and implementation of rapid testing; and partnering with governmental and non-governmental entities
• $1 billion for BARDA for diagnostic, serologic, or other COVID-19 tests or related supplies
• $22 million for the FDA to support activities associated with testing

Additionally, of this $25 billion, up to $1 billion can be used to cover the cost of testing uninsured individuals and community Health Centers and rural health clinics will receive $825 million.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will also receive an additional $75 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to be used for coronavirus response, including for reimbursing eligible health care providers for expenses or lost revenues from the coronavirus.

President Trump has indicated he will sign the bill.