The US public health emergency declaration helped align resources during the worst phase of the COVID crisis, when the virus was spreading rapidly. This week, the statement expires.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
hide captions
switch captions
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
The US public health emergency declaration helped align resources during the worst phase of the COVID crisis, when the virus was spreading rapidly. This week, the statement expires.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
On January 31, 2020, with six confirmed cases of a new coronavirus in the United States, a group of federal health officials moodily gathered at the podium at the White House and declared a public health emergency.
“Beginning at 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, February 2, the U.S. government will take temporary measures to strengthen our ability to proactively and aggressively detect and contain the coronavirus,” the Department of Health said in a statement. then-Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar announced.
More than three years of social disruption, at least 6 million hospitalizations and 1.1 million Americans died afterward, that claim is set to expire this Thursday. Some – including Republicans in Congress who have been pushing the Biden administration to end the declaration – say the time has come. Others remain concerned about the virus and worry that ending the declaration could mean easing measures that would allow the virus to create new disruptions.
“Covid 19 is still a serious problem, but the state of emergency cannot last forever,” commented Dr. Marcus Plescia, medical director of the Association of State and Territory Health Officials. “I think we’re living in a place where we’re treating COVID similarly to the flu.”
Professor Howard Markel, a doctor and historian of infectious diseases, was in the camp still worried. “History says all pandemics end,” he said. “But we’ve never had an infection event like this – never.”
Specific changes coming
In the early months of the pandemic, briefly, there was remarkable bipartisan unity in rapidly mobilizing federal resources to combat the new virus. That includes major investments in vaccine development, new legislation allowing people to continue participating in public insurance plans without interruption, and free testing and vaccines for everyone. Those rules are allowed to apply to things like mass vaccination campaigns in vehicles, where no one asks for your insurance card, and free curbside COVID-19 testing kiosks.
The rest of many of those programs are now being scrapped. Here’s what’s changing and what’s staying the same.
Vaccines and testing are no longer free – now covered by health insurance
The federal government will no longer purchase tests or doses of vaccines or treatments to make them available to the American public at no cost. The health insurance system will take over – patients will have to see a doctor, get a prescription, possibly pay a copay for COVID testing and treatment, just like they do for all illnesses other.
It’s important to note that the vaccine will still be free for most people. Insured people are required to get the vaccine at no cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act. The White House says uninsured people can still get free COVID-19 vaccines – and treatments like Paxlovid – until 2024.
Cars line up at a COVID-19 testing site at Tropical Park in Miami, Florida on December 21, 2021, during an omicron surge. Thanks to the public health emergency, COVID testing is free during major outbreaks of the pandemic.
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
hide captions
switch captions
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Cars line up at a COVID-19 testing site at Tropical Park in Miami, Florida on December 21, 2021, during an omicron surge. Thanks to the public health emergency, COVID testing is free during major outbreaks of the pandemic.
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
Scale down COVID data tracking
For those who used to rely on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance on how much virus is circulating in their community, big changes lie ahead. CDC has announced that they will be shutting down some Attempts to track COVID data, including tracking and reporting new infections. It will continue to track COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, perform genetic analysis to identify worrisome variants, and track spread through wastewater surveillance.
“We will continue to keep an eye on the COVID-19 ball,” Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s deputy chief, told reporters last week. He pointed to a recent CDC’s analysis of the new approach shows it will work.
Changes to the way CDC collects and shares COVID-19 data “are not surprising but are further evidence that these investments are always temporary and not part of a long-term strategy.” to better manage public health data”. Beth Blauer, who helped run a highly respected COVID data tracker at Johns Hopkins, told NPR.
Telemedicine access to stay in place
Some of the common health care changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic will remain in place, at least for a while, including more flexibility with telemedicine, access to controlled substances and home hospital programs. The Drug Enforcement Administration has not said how long it will allow prescriptions of controlled substances in telehealth, but most other measures have been extended until at least the end of next year. .
Vaccines, testing and treatment can be continued in an emergency
Another thing that won’t change now is access to many The COVID-19 vaccine and tests and treatments have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use. That authority comes from another statementIt’s not over yet – the timing of that is up to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Great Medicaid Relaxation
A key provision in one of the first COVID relief laws gave states more federal funds for Medicaid – the public health insurance program for low-income people – but required states not to may withdraw anyone’s name while the public health emergency is in effect.
Liz Adams, a stay-at-home mom in Plant City, Fla., said it’s been very important to her and her family to know that they have Medicaid during the pandemic without having to worry about getting certified again. “It’s there – you know it’s there,” she said. “I don’t have to worry – I can take my kids to the hospital when they’re sick without having to stress about it.”
Medicaid is bigger than ever, with a estimated 95 million beneficiaries, which is more than 1 in 4 Americans. This provision actually ended a little before the public health emergency – states could start unsubscribing people since April 1.
Although the head of the health agency in charge of Medicaid, Chiquita Brooks-Lasure, has repeatedly said that federal officials are “highly focused” on helping ensure that those who qualify don’t lose their coverage. dangerous, a recent estimate from the health research group KFF suggest that as many as 24 million people could lose Medicaid, including millions who are still eligible but fall into administrative cracks.
Adams thinks that’s what happened to her children’s Medicaid coverage. Her son, a leukemia survivor, recently canceled his next biopsy appointment because he was no longer insured. Adams is currently working with navigators in Family health care fund to help her get her insurance back.
Navigators, who help people sign up for free health insurance through federal subsidies, more sponsorships this year to help people who find themselves without Medicaid coverage. (Navigators specifically recommend that Medicaid enrollees make sure their contact information is up to date with their state Medicaid office so they don’t miss out on notifications about their coverage.)
Will we be prepared for future threats?
The end of the US public health emergency declaration comes shortly after the World Health Organization’s release same resolution last week.
In the United States, the bipartisan willingness to align resources for the pandemic began to disintegrate as the years passed. The White House and federal health agencies have asked for more funding to continue managing COVID-19 and prepare for the next pandemic threat, but Republicans in Congress have questioned it. the necessity of that.
“One of my biggest worries is that we are losing time preparing for the next pandemic,” Dawn O’Connell, head of the Bureau of Strategic Preparedness and Response, told senators. last week. “That’s why the administration asked for $88 billion last year to advance America’s pandemic preparedness plan.”
That funding never came, despite the fact that many experts believe the next pandemic could be. sooner rather than later.
Pien Huang, Rob Stein and Yuki Noguchi contributed reporting. Editing by Carmel Wroth.
