Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
USET’s Tribal Epidemiology Center (TEC) recently published an alert regarding H.J. Res. 7, which ended the COVID-19 National Emergency when President Biden signed it on April 10, 2023. USET TEC would like to reiterate that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) is different and separate from the COVID-19 National Emergency. The purpose of this update is to alert our member Tribal Nations on the status of the COVID-19 PHE, including associated waivers and flexibilities that are set to expire with the PHE on May 11, 2023.
The COVID-19 National Emergency and Public Health Emergency (PHE) were declared in 2020 in response to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic, more commonly referred to as COVID-19. During this time, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enacted non-permanent flexibilities and waivers allowing providers to expand healthcare access to beneficiaries. These waivers allow normal Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements to be waived or modified until the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends. When the PHE ends on May 11, 2023, these waivers and flexibilities will also end, apart from certain specific waivers made permanent by Congress through legislation. Waivers and flexibilities that will end with the PHE on May 11, 2023, include but are not limited to:
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