Illinois will join the federal government in ending public health emergencies related to the coronavirus pandemic later this spring, Governor JB Pritzker announced Tuesday.
According to the governor, the state’s public health emergency will end on May 11, “aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency.”
President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies to address COVID-19 on the same date, as most of the world has returned closer to normal nearly three years following they were declared. for the first time.
Declarations of public health emergencies brought in federal funding and expanded access to healthcare for residents during the pandemic, Pritzker said in a statement.
“Since COVID-19 first emerged nearly three years ago, my administration has worked diligently alongside the federal government to combat this once-in-a-generation pandemic by following scientific and medical guidance to support frontline workers and save lives. . Our state’s disaster proclamation and executive orders allowed us to use all the resources at our disposal, from building testing capacity and expanding our health care workforce to supporting our vaccine rollout and mutual aid efforts,” Pritzker said. it’s a statement. “Let me be clear: COVID-19 has not disappeared. It is still a real and present danger to people with compromised immune systems, and I urge all Illinoisans to get vaccinated or get their booster shots if they haven’t already.”
What does the decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency order mean?
The measure to end national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the virus as an endemic public health threat that can be handled through normal agency authorities.
It comes as lawmakers have already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic. Combined with the withdrawal of most federal COVID-19 relief money, it would also move development of vaccines and treatments out of the direct hands of the federal government.
Biden’s announcement comes in a statement opposing resolutions introduced this week by House Republicans to end the emergency immediately. House Republicans are also preparing to launch investigations into the federal government’s response to COVID-19.
Then-President Donald Trump first declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency on March 13, 2020. Biden has repeatedly extended the emergencies since he took office in January 2021, and they will expire in the coming months. The White House said Biden plans to briefly extend them through May 11.
“An abrupt end to emergency declarations would create great chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system: for states, hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the Office said. of Management and Budget wrote in a Statement of Management Policy.
Congress has already mitigated the scope of the public health emergency that had the most direct impact on Americans, as political calls intensified to end the declaration. Lawmakers have for months refused to honor the Biden administration’s request for billions more dollars to extend free COVID tests and vaccines. And the $1.7 trillion spending package passed last year and signed into law by Biden ended a rule that prohibited states from taking people off Medicaid, a move that is expected to cause millions of people to lose their coverage following Sept. 1. of April.
The costs of COVID-19 vaccines are also expected to skyrocket once the government stops buying them, with Pfizer saying it will charge up to $130 per dose. Only 15% of Americans have received the updated and recommended booster that has been offered since last fall.
After the emergency expires, people with private insurance will have some out-of-pocket costs for vaccines, tests and treatment, while the uninsured will have to pay those costs in full.
Lawmakers expanded telehealth flexibilities introduced when COVID-19 hit, prompting health care systems across the country to regularly provide care via smartphone or computer.
The Biden administration had previously considered ending the emergency last year, but halted amid concerns regarding a possible “winter surge” in cases and to provide adequate time for providers, insurers and patients to prepare. for his end.
