Over a three-month period starting in March 2020, 42 U.S. states and territories issued mandatory stay-at-home orders due to the early spread of the yet to be understood SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Puerto Rico was the first territory to issue a stay-at-home order on March 15, while California was the first state to do so several days later.
Since that time, treatments, vaccines and protocol for infections have become much more commonplace. Those efforts, plus a growing population immunity, have mostly kept a third winter surge at bay. However, only about 16 percent of the population has received an updated booster shot.
The public health emergency for COVID-19, first issued in January 2020, is set to end in less than two months. Several states have already ended their own public health emergency declarations.
In addition, the Biden administration made no requests for further COVID funds in the budget released last week, a further sign the White House is winding down its emergency response and shifting toward trying to jumpstart the post-pandemic economy.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the federal government prohibited states from kicking people off Medicaid, even if they were no longer eligible. But it was only temporary, and over the next year the regular process of redetermining eligibility will start back up. Some states have already started and will begin removing ineligible recipients as early as April. Officials estimate up to 14 million people could lose coverage.
Federal subsidies for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments will also expire soon, shifting costs to the private sector.
The flexibilities granted by the public health emergency touched on almost all aspects of the U.S. health care system, and many people have come to rely on the government intervention. Unwinding it will be a major test.
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