COVID emergency ends: What it means.

U.S. COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ends After Three Years

It’s official! After more than three years, the U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency has finally ended on Thursday, May 11. This comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have been at their lowest levels since March 2020.

What Does This Mean for Americans?

According to a fact sheet issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), many Americans likely won’t notice the emergency is ending as it primarily impacted Medicare waivers and related services, coverage for COVID-19 testing, virus surveillance, and changes to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.

However, the HHS assures that their “whole-of-government response to Long COVID will not change.” This refers to what some medical professionals say are lingering, long-term symptoms of COVID-19. The Department will continue to coordinate a whole-of-government response to the longer-term effects of COVID-19, including Long COVID and associated conditions.

Additionally, “major telehealth flexibilities” won’t be impacted by the end of the order. That means Medicare-backed provisions for telehealth meetings and prescriptions will still remain intact until December 2024.

What About the FDA?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will still have the ability to hand down emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 products, vaccines, and treatments. This is perhaps the most notable aspect of the emergency ending. The agency’s decisions to use emergency use authorizations to approve certain COVID-19 vaccines has been controversial, but it will still have the power to do so.

Impact on Medicare and Medicaid Recipients

A number of Medicare and Medicaid recipients will be impacted by the ending of the emergency, the HHS fact sheet suggested. The agency that manages the two federal programs used a combination of waivers, regulations, guidance, and other means to expand access to the programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some COVID-19 waivers for Medicaid will end on May 11, said HHS, adding that others will remain intact for another six months. There have been studies and reports suggesting that as many as 15 million people may lose Medicaid coverage in the coming months as states work to update their rolls.

Conclusion

While the end of the U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency may not have a significant impact on most Americans, it’s important to note the changes that will occur for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. The fight against COVID-19 is far from over, but we can take this as a sign of progress and hope for the future.

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