HHS Preps States For End Of Covid Public Health Emergency

CNN: HHS Secretary Sends Letter To State Governors On What's To Come When Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Ends
On Thursday, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra sent a letter and fact sheet to state governors detailing what exactly the end of the emergency declaration will mean for jurisdictions and their residents. (Howard, 2/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: U.S. Public Health Emergency Renewed For The Last Time
Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, on Thursday renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency order in the U.S. for what is expected to be the last time. (Vaziri, 2/9)

Reuters: FEMA To End All COVID-19 Disaster Declarations On May 11 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Thursday it will close all COVID-19 disaster declaration incident periods on May 11 when the U.S. government ends two major pandemic-related emergency declarations. All 50 states, five territories and three tribal nations are seeing a major disaster declaration for COVID-19, said FEMA Associate Administrator for Response and Recovery Anne Bink. (Aboulenein, 2/9)

USA Today: Medicaid, Free COVID Tests Will Change After Public Health Emergency
The Biden administration on Thursday formally notified states the COVID-19 public health emergency that provided generous federal payments to subsidize care and insurance coverage for millions will end May 11. About 15 million Americans who gained Medicaid health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of losing coverage later this year as generous federal subsidies end. (Alltucker, 2/9)

KHN: Era Of ‘Free’ Covid Vaccines, Test Kits, And Treatments Is Ending. Who Will Pay The Tab Now? 
Time is running out for free-to-consumer covid vaccines, at-home test kits, and even some treatments. The White House announced this month that the national public health emergency, first declared in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, is set to expire May 11. When it ends, so will many of the policies designed to combat the virus’s spread. (Appleby, 2/10)

Axios: 69% Of Health Providers Still Using Pandemic Waivers, Survey Finds
More than two-thirds of health care providers are still using pandemic waivers and flexibilities that are due to expire when the COVID public health emergency ends in May, according to an analysis by the group purchasing organization Premier. The health care system will undergo a major shift as hospitals, health systems and other providers lose special allowances on reporting requirements, patients' rights, virtual care and a host of other areas. (Bettelheim, 2/9)

KQED: How To Find A Free COVID Test Near You In 2023 (Because It's Getting Harder)
Finding it harder to get a COVID-19 test lately? You’re not alone. California's pandemic state of emergency is set to end on Feb. 28, and President Biden recently announced that the federal emergency status for the nation will end May 11. (Johnson, 2/9)

Worries grow about the food stamp 'hunger cliff' —

CBS News: Food Stamp "Hunger Cliff" Looms As 32 States Set To Slash Benefits
A "hunger cliff" is looming for millions of Americans, with 32 states set to slash food-stamp benefits beginning in March. The cuts will impact more than 30 million people who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in those states, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Among the states where recipients are facing cuts are California and Texas, which have greatest number of people on SNAP, at 5.1 million and 3.6 million recipients, respectively. (Picchi, 2/10)

CalMatters: Hunger Spike Feared As Food Stamp Boosts End In April
Food banks across California are bracing for a feared spike in hunger amid inflated prices after a pandemic-era boost in food aid ends in April. March is the last month CalFresh recipients will get the additional benefits, as the federal government cuts off the “emergency allotments” that have kept food stamp allowances higher than usual for nearly three years now. (Kuang, 2/9)