The federal public health emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 is set to expire today. But not all the flexibilities the government put in place during the pandemic will end.
Here’s a list of the flexibilities that will remain as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services transition away from policies enabled by the COVID-19 emergency declarations:
- The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) will still be able to authorize COVID-19 products, including tests, vaccines, and treatments.
- HHS will continue to coordinate a whole-of-government response to the longer-term effects of COVID-19, including Long COVID and associated conditions.
- Most telehealth flexibilities will remain in place through December 31, 2024 including:
- Access to telehealth services in any geographic area in the United States, rather than only in rural areas.
- Allowing patients to stay in their homes for telehealth visits that Medicare pays for rather than requiring travel to a health care facility.
- Certain Medicare telehealth visits can be delivered using audio-only technology (such as a telephone) if someone is unable to use both audio and video, such as a smartphone or computer.
“HHS and the leadership across the Department remain focused on protecting the health and well-being of all Americans, particularly those at highest at risk, including seniors and immunocompromised people, making sure we don’t leave the uninsured behind and monitoring the latest subvariants so we're prepared and ready to manage the risks of the virus moving forward,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an announcement. “The PHE is ending, but COVID-19 remains a public health priority, and our work to protect the American public will continue."
For more information, click here and here for HHS fact sheets about the flexibilities.