News: COVID national and public health emergency to end on May 11

Plans to end the COVID-19 national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) on May 11 were declared by the Biden Administration in a policy statement released by the Office of Management and Budget. This statement also opposed House resolutions that would otherwise end the emergencies immediately if passed. The national emergency and PHE were declared by the Trump Administration in 2020 and are currently set to expire on March 1 and April 11, respectively. Currently, the Administration’s plan is to extend the emergency declarations to May 11 to align with its previous commitments to give at least 60 days’ notice before terminating the PHE.

During the PHE, the Medicaid program provided extra funding to states that ensured tens of millions of Americans kept their coverage during the pandemic. In December, Congress enacted an orderly wind-down of these rules, which would ensure that patients don’t lose access to care unpredictably and that state budgets can be adjusted slowly. Many hospitals and nursing homes have relied on the flexibilities enabled by the PHE, and without adequate time to retrain staff and establish new billing processes, disruptions in care and payment delays are likely to follow, according to the statement.

“An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system—for states, for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the Administration stated.

Enactment of H.R. 382 by Congress would also lift Title 42 immediately, causing a sizeable increase of migrants at the Southwest border all at once. “Congress will effectively be requiring the Administration to allow thousands of migrants per day into the country immediately without the necessary policies in place,” the statement said.

In response to the statement, Stacy Hughes, AHA executive vice president for government relations and public policy, said, “While the country may be entering a new phase of the fight against COVID-19, hospitals and their caregivers continue to navigate a host of weighty challenges including workforce shortages and financial challenges, cost increases for equipment and drugs, disrupted supply chains and sicker patients. These issues will require continued attention and investment from the federal government.”

Editor’s note: To read the Office of Management and Budget policy statement, click here. To read AHA’s response, click here.