CHARLESTON — Rural hospitals in West Virginia need more help should the state become a hot spot for the coronavirus, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said.
The senator also called for more test kits to be sent to West Virginia in a call with the White House Tuesday.
Speaking by phone Tuesday, Capito said she’s been in contact with the White House, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Gov. Jim Justice and others to talk about coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in regard to the state’s 62 hospitals, many of which are in rural areas.
“We want to make sure our hospitals in West Virginia are as prepared as they possibly can be,” said Capito, R-W.Va. “We all know we don’t have one diagnosed case, but we all know it’s not going to stay like that, and we want to have our hospitals be ready if there is a surge of patients.
Capito said she has been working with the White House to get an 1135 waiver for West Virginia. The waiver, permitted when the president declares a state of emergency or a public health emergency, allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements.
The waiver would allow hospitals to offer coronavirus testing off-site or remove patients to a different location to make room for severe coronavirus cases. Capito said Florida received an 1135 waiver Tuesday morning.
“It’s a regulatory relief package that basically removes some of the regulations that hospitals have to live under,” Capito said. “We are smart in terms of being as prepared as we possibly can be to have this waiver in place so we can move forward.”
Capito said she also is working on the issues of testing. West Virginia has yet to have a confirmed coronavirus case as of Tuesday afternoon, with only 84 people being tested. Capito said the state needs more test kits.
“We have supplies, but we need more, and we need more robust testing so we can actually be accurate,” Capito said. “I’ve tried to enlist (CDC’s) help and assistance with that as well.”
Speaking on the floor of the Senate Monday night, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said West Virginia’s senior populations and high population of people with chronic health issues made the state most susceptible to coronavirus. Manchin called for more test kits for West Virginia.
“If it hits my state and we are not prepared for it because basically we don’t have the tests to identify who is ill, who needs treatment, and who needs the hospital care, what do we do,” Manchin said. “I’m afraid that my State of West Virginia is falling into a lapse to where they might think they’re protected because no cases have been reported.”
The Senate is considering a package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week that includes funding for free coronavirus testing, paid leave for workers, unemployment benefits, greater access to food stamps and increased funding for Medicaid, an $850 billion relief package.
White House officials are already pushing for another relief package that could include direct payments to U.S. residents versus a payroll tax break. That new package could cost more than $750 billion, on top of an additional $8.3 billion already appropriated by Congress for coronavirus preparations. Capito said the goal is figuring out how to quickly get the money to the people and small businesses that need it.
“I’m going to vote for the first one that comes through,” Capito said. “The second package we’re talking about is going to be more individualized and also for small business,” Capito said. “The small businesses I’m hearing from have said they can go through the loan process and get a small loan in six-to-eight months, but they’re not going to be in business in six-to-eight months. That’s the real catch there, getting the money immediately to our small businesses to keep them afloat.”