On May 11, the United States will officially no longer be under a state of emergency due to COVID-19 for the first time since the start of the pandemic three years ago.
While hundreds of deaths from covid-19 continue to be reported in the U.S. each day — bringing the total to more than 1 million — public health experts said the Biden administration is likely seeking to end the national and public health emergency. related to covid. 19 because circulating omicron subvariants cause milder disease and the US has a high level of immunity from previous vaccinations or infections.
The risk of the virus has also decreased for many Americans, thanks to testing, treatment and vaccines.
Jen Kates with the non-partisan nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) called the end of the state of emergency a “symbolic big change.” But it will also change systems that people have come to rely on without realizing they are temporary, while experts say it is unclear what the future holds.
“I think the administration is hoping that we are clearly moving into an endemic period and that the pandemic period is in the past,” said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. ABC News.
“That being said, those of us who work in infectious disease and public health are a little nervous. And the reason is that we’re at the end of January and we’re predicting what the circumstances will be in May,” Schaffner added. “It’s a very unpredictable virus.”
Here are the biggest public health and state impacts of the end of the state of emergency, according to experts:
A doctor holds the hand of a COVID-19 patient in intensive care at Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar intensive care unit, Spain, November 5, 2020.
Millions could lose Medicaid
After three years of big increases in Medicaid enrollment, 5 million to 14 million Americans could soon lose access to the government’s health insurance program for low-income people and others, according to KFF, which focuses on national health. Read also : New Art Walks App Offers Tours of Artworks Around Columbus.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that nearly 7 million of those people could still be eligible, but will fall through the cracks of the renewal process and lose their health insurance.
For context, nearly 20 million people enrolled in Medicaid during the COVID-19 public health emergency, a nearly 30 percent increase since before the pandemic, and uninsured rates fell to record lows.
That increase was spurred by a public health emergency rule that barred states from removing anyone from Medicaid while the pandemic was at its worst, allowing people to avoid bureaucratic renewal processes that experts they say they can often lead to a loss of coverage even when they were still eligible.
But a recent bill in Congress restored the right to states to exclude people from Medicaid starting April 1, ending the continuous enrollment that had been granted to people during public health emergencies.
“This will lead to people who are eligible for the program losing out,” said Kates, a senior vice president at KFF. “And that’s why I think that’s a concern now, because you would lose coverage for your entire health care during that period,” she said.
In the year following the Medicaid rule change, KFF estimates that enrollment will drop between 5% and 13%.
There are efforts to catch some of those people who lose Medicaid coverage, such as a special open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act.
And some Americans will be excluded from Medicaid because they get a job that offers health insurance instead — or because they then make too much money to qualify for Medicaid.
“As a person on the street, I understand where the government is going. But as a doctor, I’m a little concerned because [the loss of Medicaid] makes a difference between the haves and the have-nots,” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, told ABC News.
“Especially with the price of $500 for a course of Paxlovida [to treat COVID-19], $130 for an injection, we already know how much testing costs at Walgreens and CVS,” he continued. “So I think all of those things together make it harder to protect not only ourselves, but each other.”
A person is tested for COVID-19 at a testing center operating at Los Angeles International Airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal on Dec. 1, 2021, in Los Angeles.
New COVID costs for tests and treatments
The end of the public health emergency will mean that Americans will start paying more for some medical measures for COVID-19, but the increase is unlikely to be felt all at once. To see also : Community Engagement Series to Select Public Art Locations for Bond 2022 – 2027.
One of the most obvious new costs will be rapid home tests, which have been free for most of their existence. For example, people can receive eight free tests a month covered by their insurance or order free tests by mail from the government.
But that ends with a public health emergency on May 11, KFF’s Kates said. The same goes for going into a clinic or doctor’s office to get a test. This could incur costs in the future, while it is free in an emergency.
As for treatments like the antiviral drug Paxlovid, that will depend on when the federal government’s supply runs out as insurers change their policies. Until then, people are unlikely to notice a large increase in the cost of treatment.
“The federal declaration has huge implications, mainly financial, that many people are not even aware of,” Chin-Hong said. “All of a sudden you have to pay co-pays and office visits or even lab tests,” he added. “And then people might not want to seek medical care because they’re afraid of paying some kind of copay or being saddled with a huge bill.”
But vaccines will remain free for people with insurance. Because of work in Congress and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Covid-19 vaccine must be covered by insurance — until the end of the public health emergency, and even after the government stops buying and distributing it for free.
Telehealth access remains through Medicare
Congress has decided to ensure access to telehealth for all Medicare recipients for the next two years, so the audio and video visits these patients have come to rely on will not be in jeopardy after the emergency ends. Read also : Questions and Answers: Melissa Nobles on Nature’s Guest Editor to investigate racism in science.
For those with private insurance, access to telehealth will depend on state laws and insurance company policies. People can check with their providers for more information, as there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
Customers wear face masks at an open-air mall amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles, June 11, 2021. The latest worrisome variant of the coronavirus, the Delta variant, is taking advantage of low global vaccination rates and the rush to ease restrictions due to the pandemic, adding new urgency in an effort to get more rounds into the gun and slow its spread.
Pandemic data may be harder to track
Public health emergencies have required states to share some data with the CDC, such as the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19. Although a senior Biden administration official said the CDC will continue to encourage states to voluntarily share this information with them, some states will not choose to do so.
The result could be a clouded picture of the pandemic, including less insight into potential spikes in infections and slower responses by health officials.
“That means we won’t be able to track simple things like hospital capacity,” Chin-Hong said.
“So there will be less ability to sound the alarm before the storm hits,” he said.
Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine, said the end of all emergency measures will signal to the public that the pandemic is over — when infections and deaths resume.
“Currently, somewhere between 300 and 500 people die from covid in the US every day,” he said. “So we’re going to have to be careful. But if we declare an official end, I think the general public will hear that as a message that they don’t have to worry about it anymore, and that can lead to, you can imagine, an increase in COVID.”
Title 42 is still up in the air
The end of the state of emergency due to COVID-19 is connected to a very different issue – immigration.
The public health emergency has allowed the Trump and Biden administrations to invoke Title 42 of federal law to quickly deport migrants seeking asylum from the border based on the threat of the spread of COVID-19.
While the Biden administration is now working to repeal Title 42, a group of mostly Republican states want to keep it in place, arguing that the resulting immigration would hurt them.
The case is before the Supreme Court. Their decision will come sometime before June, when the court’s term ends.
President Joe Biden speaks during a Lunar New Year reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Jan. 26, 2023.
Student loan debt cancellation may get more complicated
Ending the covid-19 emergency could legally complicate the position the Biden administration has taken while arguing that it has the ability to cancel the national student loan debt for about 40 million Americans.
That plan has been challenged in court and will go before the Supreme Court next month.
The administration is using the national emergency caused by COVID-19 as justification for the Department of Education to change the status and terms of student debt.
“There is a national emergency that has affected millions of student borrowers. Many of these borrowers still face the risk of defaulting on their student loans as a result of this emergency. Congress authorized the Secretary of Education under the HEROES Act, to take steps to prevent this damage, and it has,” an administration official said in a statement to ABC News.
Nebraska and five other GOP-led states challenging the plan argued in court filings that the White House can’t have both, pointing to comments made by President Joe Biden last year that suggested Americans could lived with the virus.
“The government has undermined what the [Department of Education] stated in the rationale. As for the rationale for COVID-19, the president declared the ‘pandemic … over’ in September 2022. As for the current economic situation, the White House said that “household finances stronger than before the pandemic,” claimed the Republican Party.
What happens to the Constitution during a state of emergency?
When the President declares a state of emergency, no power or authority available by law to be used in the event of a state of emergency shall be exercised unless and until the President sets forth the statutory provisions upon which he or other officials propose to act .
What happens during emergencies? This proclamation authorizes the governor to expedite assistance from state agencies to communities in need. It allows him to make resources immediately available for rescue, evacuation, shelter, provision of basic goods (ie heating fuel, food, etc.)
What does it mean when the US declares state of emergency?
A state of emergency is a situation in which the government is empowered to implement policies that it would not normally implement for the safety and security of its citizens.
What powers does the US have in a state of emergency?
Emergency Powers The presidential emergency powers granted by Congress are sweeping and dramatic, ranging from the temporary repeal of all laws governing chemical and biological weapons, including the ban on human testing (50 U.S.C.
What does it mean to be in a state of emergency?
What happens in an emergency? It allows him to make resources immediately available for rescue, evacuation, shelter, provision of basic goods (ie heating fuel, food, etc.) and riot control in affected areas. It may also apply to the state for federal assistance when the scope of the event exceeds federal funds.â
What are the advantages of state of emergency?
Ordinarily, a state of emergency authorizes the executive branch to appoint coordinating officers to deal with the emergency and to override normal administrative procedures related to the adoption of administrative rules.
How long does a state of local emergency last?
The municipal administration can declare a local state of emergency that lasts for 7 days.
What are the advantages of state of emergency?
Ordinarily, a state of emergency authorizes the executive branch to appoint coordinating officers to deal with the emergency and to override normal administrative procedures related to the adoption of administrative rules.
What does it mean to be in a state of emergency? 1. What is a state of emergency? The governor declares a state of emergency when he believes that a disaster of sufficient severity has occurred or may be imminent to require state assistance to supplement local resources in preventing or alleviating damage, loss, distress, or suffering.
What is a reason for declaring a state of emergency?
A governor or tribal leader may request in advance a declaration of emergency or anticipation of the immediate impact of an incident that threatens such destruction as could result in a major disaster. Such requests must meet all statutory and regulatory requirements for requesting a declaration of emergency.
What happens when a country is in a state of emergency?
A state of emergency is a situation in which the government is empowered to implement policies that it would not normally implement for the safety and security of its citizens.
