PHOENIX — $30 billion is on its way right now to health care providers to help with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money is targeted to provide relief to health care providers in areas hit hard by coronavirus and providers who are struggling to keep their doors open.
The money is part of $100 billion heading to health care providers as part of the $2 trillion CARES Act. It's the same stimulus plan sending $1,200 checks to Americans.
Glenn and Emily Hinchman with Scottsdale Adult Medicine noticed new money in their business account on Monday.
"To be honest we weren’t expecting it," Dr. Glenn Hinchman said, "and so when we saw it on the account, we started investigating where did this come from and why?”
The two learned the extra cash was to help with the COVID-19 crisis and could be used to help pay their workers as hours were cut because of the pandemic.
However, the two first decided to take a closer look at the terms and conditions attached to the money.
"The issues ranging from gun control to embryonic research or legalization of certain drugs like marijuana," Hinchman said.
The terms and conditions include direction on how the money cannot be spent. The bans include some political hot topics, like advocating gun control, controlled substances, needle exchanges, abortion and porn.
Dr. Hinchman said the topics had to deal with politics, not medical care.
"The idea of infiltrating politics into health care is offensive," Dr. Hinchman said. "Not that I have any intent of being an activist for gun control, however, I don’t like being told to as a physician that if you want help from your government, this is the stance you need to take."
The owners of Scottsdale Adult Medicine said they had no intention of using the money for any political purpose, only for payroll.
However, both Hinchman's said the terms and conditions make it feel as if strings are attached.
"We take care of people, it’s a nonpartisan issue. We take care of our employees, that’s a nonpartisan issue," Emily Hinchman said.
"To put on things you can't use it for and have them be controversial political topics kinda gets on my nerves," Dr. Hinchman said.
The couple said the only reason they looked at the terms and conditions was from personal experience. During the mid-2000s, the couple took advantage of some medical funding offered by the government to upgrade a computer system.
Years later the two were audited by the federal government and had to prove they followed terms and conditions.
The two were able to prove they followed instructions, but the past headache makes them wary of a potential future mistake.
The Hinchmans said they do not believe other providers will look as closely at the terms and conditions and could put themselves at risk – especially as the money showed up in the Hinchman's business account without ever applying for the money.
The couple said that although they never planned on violating the conditions of the stimulus money, they will be sending the cash back. However, they cannot yet, as the government has not set up a way to do so.
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