By Zee Krstic; Good Housekeeping
In January, White House officials revealed plans to bring the COVID-19 national and public health emergency protocols currently in place to an end. The move to slowly cease funding to public health programs designed to help Americans navigate the pandemic was revealed by officials as they announced a target end date in late spring 2023.
You may have heard of the initial announcement outlining the White House's plans for ending COVID-19 emergency declarations across states, but there's been some confusion over which elements of healthcare may be affected. Many are equally concerned about the effect that the end of the public health emergency will have on Medicaid, specifically, as states won't be restricted from withdrawing Medicaid from recipients who no longer qualify for the program starting in April.
Since the global pandemic began in March 2020, Americans have had access to free COVID-19 tests in one form or another; whether through USPS-sponsored home delivery of rapid antigen tests, or community-run polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing offered in many public health clinics. The same can be said for COVID-19 vaccines, which have been offered to the public for free regardless of insurance coverage in years past — all of which was due to funding tied to emergency federal healthcare policies.
In May, the costs of both COVID-19 tests and vaccines will largely be passed back onto Americans, and the kind of insurance you have will play a role in how much you'll need to pay in the future. Below, we're outlining how the end of the public health emergency will impact COVID-19 tests, vaccines and costs associated with treatment and care, according to plans highlighted by federal officials.
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