Making Sense of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ending.
The Biden Administration has announced that the federal public health emergency in the United States will end on May 11, 2023. This will cause some changes for people, depending on things like demographics, what industry they work in, or what type of insurance they have. It can all get very confusing, so we are going to try to share some changes you might be concerned about in a way that we hope is helpful.
When did this all start?
The Trump Administration declared a public health emergency on January 31, 2020. Under U.S. law, the president can declare a state of emergency that gives the executive branch emergency powers to address the crisis. A federal public health emergency lasts 90 days, so this one has been renewed several times. Washington State also declared a state of emergency, but all state level emergency orders ended October 31, 2022.
Why is it ending now?
Due in large part to vaccination programs and other public health efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has evaluated COVID-19 trends and decided that, although COVID-19 remains a public health priority, it does not need to be an emergency declaration at this time. This means COVID-19 is still a threat, we just have a lot more tools and resources available to us now.
What is changing now?
Vaccines
Nothing. The availability, access, and costs of COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, are determined by the supply of federally purchased vaccines, not the public health emergency. Also, emergency use authorizations will remain in effect since they are connected to a different emergency declaration, not the public health emergency.
At-Home COVID Tests
People on traditional Medicare (part B) will no longer receive free tests and those with private insurance and Medicare Advantage (part C) plans will not be guaranteed free tests, although some companies may decide to continue to cover them. Medicaid will continue to cover the cost of at-home tests through September 2024.
COVID Tests Ordered by a Health Professional
Most insurances will provide part or full coverage of tests ordered by a health professional, but each person will need to find out what their specific insurance plan covers.
COVID Treatment
This, like provider ordered tests, will be different based on what insurance plan a person has, however, any pharmaceutical treatment doses (e.g., Paxlovid) purchased by the federal government will still be free. These doses are free based on the availability of the federal supply and is not affected by the end of the public health emergency. Another thing to note is that hospitalizations and visits related to COVID treatment have already been based on what the insurance company has chosen to cover, so those costs will also not change when the public health emergency ends.
Telemedicine
There will be some changes in the flexibility of telehealth treatment. Providers who have been allowed to write prescriptions for controlled substances via telemedicine will be required to return to in-person visits, state-to-state licensure requirements will return to pre-emergency standards, and providers will no longer have waived penalties for utilizing telehealth technology that doesn’t comply with federal privacy and security rules.
This gives a brief overview, but it is not comprehensive. If you want to know more about a particular benefit, the following articles go into more detail:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Fact Sheet: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Transition Roadmap
Kaiser Family Foundation: The End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Details on Health Coverage and Access
What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access