Hospitals return $2.3B in federal COVID-19 aid

Congress allocated $175 billion in relief aid to hospitals and other healthcare providers to cover expenses and lost revenues tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, but some hospitals have returned the relief funds in recent months. 

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Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente announced in June that it returned more than $500 million in grants it received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Though the nonprofit system ended the first quarter of this year with a $1.1 billion net loss, it’s finances bounced back in the second quarter. The 39-hospital system ended the second quarter of this year with net income of $4.5 billion, up from $2 billion in the same period of 2019. 

HCA Healthcare, a 186-hospital chain based in Nashville, Tenn., announced Oct. 8 that it is returning $1.6 billion in provider relief grants it received under the CARES Act. The for-profit hospital chain, which ended the second quarter of this year with a $1.1 billion profit, is also returning $4.4 billion in accelerated Medicare payments before the loans are due. 

Several hospitals that treated large numbers of COVID-19 patients this spring returned grants received from the federal government. In May and June, the following 10 hospitals declined their high-impact payments and returned a total of $183.1 million in funds, according to CDC data

Coosa Valley Medical Center (Sylacauga, Ala.)
Grant amount: $8.7 million 
Funds returned May 21 

Drew Memorial Health System (Monticello, Ark.) 
Grant amount: $8.9 million 
Funds returned May 15 

HSHS St. John’s Hospital (Springfield, Ill.) 
Grant amount: $27.9 million 
Funds returned May 13

M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital (Edina, Minn.) 
Grant amount: $8 million 
Funds returned May 26 

M Health Fairview St. Joseph’s Hospital (Saint Paul, Minn.) 
Grant amount: $24.3 million 
Funds returned May 26 

M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center-West Bank (Minneapolis) 
Grant amount: $17.2 million 
Funds returned May 26 

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport (Miss.) 
Grant amount: $15.4 million 
Funds returned May 11 

Springhill Medical Center (Mobile, Ala.) 
Grant amount: $10.1 million 
Funds returned May 13 

Tanner Medical Center – Carrollton (Ga.) 
Grant amount: $35.2 million 
Funds returned June 3 

Tanner Medical Center – Villa Rica (Ga.) 
Grant amount: $27.4 million 
Funds returned June 3 

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