COVID-19 vaccines may start costing more money if the public health emergency ends.Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images
- The federal government renewed a public health emergency declaration earlier this month.
- It paves the way for extra federal assistance on food stamps, COVID-19 vaccines, and testing.
Millions of Americans could soon be dealing with cuts to federal benefits in just a few months.
The Department of Health and Human Services extended the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration earlier this month. The 90-day designation was renewed on April 12, setting up a mid-July expiration unless the Biden administration decides to continue it.
That emergency declaration opens the door to increased federal funding for a variety of programs, ranging from improved access to Medicaid to more generous food benefits. But if the declaration lapses, that extra funding could vanish.
"Prematurely declaring an end to the public health emergency hampers the response to COVID-19," Larry Levitt, a health policy expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation, wrote on Twitter.
The Biden administration has assured states they will receive 60 days of advance notice before the public health emergency ends. Yet the pandemic is ongoing and while new recorded cases remain far below their winter peak, they're ticking upward once again after an early springtime lull.
Here are four ways that Americans could get hammered with abrupt ends to more generous health and nutritional benefits.