Back on April 15, HHS Secretary Becerra extended the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 to July 15 [See renewal declaration here]. Both he and the president have said that they will give states 60 days’ notice if they intend to let the public health emergency expire.
This week that 60-day notice period came and went, meaning we can count on the federal government to keep the emergency in place through October 15. Many policy changes are tied to the federal public health emergency like flexibilities to waive or modify certain requirements in a range of areas, including in the Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP (KidsCare) programs, mandates for private health insurance, authorization of medical countermeasures, telehealth, providing liability immunity to providers who administer services, and authorizing the FDA to do emergency use authorizations, among other things:
The Kaiser Family Foundation out together this good summary of what changes are coming when the federal declaration ends: What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access
Here are the sub-categories:
- Coverage, costs, and payment for COVID-19 testing, treatments, and vaccines
- Medicaid (AHCCCS) coverage and federal match rates
- Telehealth
- Other Medicaid (AHCCCS) and CHIP (KidsCare) flexibilities
- Other Medicare payment and coverage flexibilities
- Other private insurance coverage flexibilities
- Access to medical countermeasures (vaccines, tests, and treatments) through FDA emergency use authorization (EUA)
- Liability immunity to administer medical countermeasures
The thing I’m most concerned about is that once the federal emergency ends on October 15, AHCCCS will begin its redetermination processes. AHCCCS estimates that as many as 500,000 members have moved in the last 2 years and didn’t update their address. Once the federal emergency ends, they’ll send out notices to members and those that don’t reply will eventually get kicked off.
Thankfully AHCCCS and their contracted managed care organizations are working hard up front to make sure folks that have moved in the last year update their addresses at www.healthearizonaplus.gov or 1-855-432-7587.
