What to know about expiring COVID emergencies: Free tests, treatments ending for some
The two emergencies enabled the federal government to provide most Americans with COVID tests, including up to eight at-home kits per month, at no out-of-pocket expense. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
With President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will end COVID-19 national and public health emergencies, many Americans will begin paying for coronavirus tests and treatments, millions of Americans could lose Medicaid coverage and states could lose funding.
In a statement of administration policy, issued after efforts by House Republicans to immediately end the emergencies, Biden said he would extend the declarations through May 11. The move allows states to prepare for the change, which could have wide-ranging impact on public health nationwide, the administration said.
"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," Biden wrote. "Due to this uncertainty, tens of millions of Americans could be at risk of abruptly losing their health insurance, and states could be at risk of losing billions of dollars in funding."
Here's what you need to know about the looming end of the twin COVID-19 emergencies:
How did the emergency declarations affect public health policy?
The two emergencies, first declared by the Trump administration in 2020 and repeatedly extended by Biden, enabled the federal government to provide most Americans with COVID-19 tests, including up to eight at-home kits per month, medical treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and boosters at no out-of-pocket costs.
States, including New York, have also been receiving extra Medicaid funding in exchange for keeping patients continuously enrolled in a health care program for low-income residents.
Will I still be able to receive my COVID-19 tests, treatment and vaccinations for free?
Once the emergency period concludes, most Medicare beneficiaries will begin paying for some portion of at-home tests and medical treatment although vaccines will remain free, as will COVID-19 tests ordered by a doctor, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Vaccines, boosters and physician-ordered tests would still be covered for recipients of Medicaid, the program that covers those with limited incomes. But coverage of tests not ordered by a doctor, at-home testing kits, and treatments under emergency use authorization could be subject to cost sharing, Foundation experts said.
Individuals with private insurance would not be charged for vaccinations or boosters as long as they stay with in-network providers but could face charges for lab tests — even those ordered by a physician — and may eventually be charged for monoclonal antibody treatments, officials said.
Those Americans without insurance, who'd previously been able to obtain free testing, vaccines and treatment through a different pandemic relief program, will no longer be able to obtain those services without cost, experts said.
"Conditions that we have been accustomed to as a result of the public health emergency that began in 2020 will need to be prepared for the end," said Martine Hackett, associate professor of health professions at Hofstra University. "This includes paying out of pocket for COVID tests and vaccines and treatments for the uninsured."
How will the end of the emergencies affect individual states?
States have been receiving major increases in Medicare's payment rate for treating COVID-19 patients without cost sharing — a funding source that will expire once the emergency ends.
In addition, states have been prohibited, since 2020, from removing residents from Medicaid's rolls in exchange for additional federal matching dollars, Hackett said. The move caused Medicaid enrollment to grow almost 28% through September 2022, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
States can begin disenrolling residents who no longer qualify for Medicaid beginning April 1. The Foundation estimates that between 5 million and 14 million Americans will lose their Medicaid coverage.
What about telehealth?
Most Americans will still be able to receive telehealth services, allowing them to access medical care from home, through the end of 2024, as part of a funding bill signed by Biden in December.
Does the end of the public health emergency mean the pandemic is over?
While most sectors of American life have returned to pre-pandemic levels of normalcy, thousands of Americans continue to succumb to the virus. Since March 2020, more than 1.1 million Americans have died from COVID-19, including more than 3,700 last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
