Should Congress terminate the declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency?
The bill seeks to terminate the power of discretionary action that was given to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Specifically, the bill would end certain policies that increased Medicare’s payment rates and expanded coverage of Medicare benefits. The largest budgetary effects for Medicaid and CHIP would arise from reducing federal funding for COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment; ending the option to cover COVID-19 services for uninsured people; and vacating policies implemented by states under waivers and state plan amendments. The largest effects for SNAP would arise from ending the pause on participation limitations for students and for able-bodied adults without dependents and from lengthening certification periods.
Sponsor: Rep. Brett Guthrie (Republican, Kentucky, District 2)
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Opponents say
• "First, 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. During the PHE, the Medicaid program has operated under special rules to provide extra funding to states to ensure that tens of millions of vulnerable Americans kept their Medicaid coverage during a global pandemic. In December, Congress enacted an orderly wind-down of these rules to ensure that patients did not lose access to care unpredictably and that state budgets don’t face a radical cliff. If the PHE were suddenly terminated, it would sow confusion and chaos into this critical wind-down. 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." Source: OMB
• "The bill would abruptly and irresponsibly end the COVID-19 public health-emergency virtually overnight" Source: Rep Frank Pallone (Democrat, New Jersey, District 6)
Proponents say
• "The COVID-19 pandemic is over. Despite President Biden admitting this in September, his administration just authorized the 12th extension of the COVID-19 public health emergency. It is long overdue for President Biden to end the COVID-19 public health emergency and relinquish the emergency powers that he just renewed again. President Biden’s inaction and lack of transparency on this are unacceptable. I introduced the Pandemic is Over Act to prevent any more delays by forcing the Biden Administration to finally release and execute a plan that my House Republican colleagues and I have been repeatedly pressing for to unwind the PHE" Source: Rep. Brett Guthrie (Republican, Kentucky, District 2)
• "With even President Biden declaring last year that The pandemic is over, it’s time to make it official. We are in a very different place now in understanding how to focus protections. The Centers for Disease Control acknowledges we are past the emergency, with an estimated 95% of the American population having acquired antibodies from vaccination or previous infection. Nonetheless, vast federal powers and untold billions of federal dollars still are flowing because the national emergency declaration is still in place. Ditto for the Public Health Emergency, which H.R. 382 — the Pandemic is Over Act– would terminate. It’s time to close the spigot and focus on reviving the economy." Source: Galen Institute
- Guthrie Introduces Bill to End the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (Press Release)
- H.R. 382 Pandemic is Over Act (CBO)
- Biden team eyes end of Covid emergency declaration and shift in Covid team (Politico)
- Biden administration extends COVID public health emergency (Axios)
- What Happens When COVID-19 Emergency Declarations End? Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Access (Kaiser Family Foundation)
