Episode #60: The US will end Covid-19 emergencies in May

Many Americans could start paying for Covid-19 treatment and testing, thanks to plans by the Biden administration to end public emergency declarations by the month of May.

The White House announced the move in response to two Republican-backed measures to end the Covid-19 declarations. And it further extends the national emergency and public health emergency declarations to May 11.

Once the covid emergency measures end, people on Medicare, Medicaid and private plans will have to start paying for things that were once free, depending on the health programs.  

That could include testing, treatment as well as vaccinations.

With the end of the emergency declarations, states will also start processing Medicaid redeterminations and disenrolling residents who no longer qualify. That could leave millions without medical coverage.

President Biden’s plans to end the declarations, even though Covid-19 rates in the country are soaring. Today the US leads the world with about 103,799,118 cases and 1,134,021 deaths, as of March 21 of this year.

With us to talk about the issue is Jeffrey Klausner, USC professor of Clinical, Population and Public Health Sciences. He spoke to Digital Village co-host, Leilani Albano.