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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>How will COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and treatment be affected when the PHE ends May 11th?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President Joe Biden signed legislation April 10th to end the National Emergency for COVID-19. This move does not affect the end of the separate Public<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Health Emergency (PHE) scheduled for May 11th.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Public Health Emergency (PHE) enabled the government to provide COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines at no charge, as well as offer enhanced social<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>safety net benefits, to help the nation cope with the pandemic and minimize its impact.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So, what does it mean for COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and treatment when the PHE ends May 11th?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>2 Covid-19 rapid antigen tests on blue background. Image by chandlervid85 on Freepik.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>COVID-19 tests<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicaid: Free tests through September 2024. After that, coverage will likely vary by state.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicare: At-home tests will no longer be free after May 11th. With traditional Medicare, COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests will have with no cost sharing<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>when the test is ordered by a health care provider and performed by a laboratory. Medicare Advantage (MA) plan enrollees can continue to receive COVID-19<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>PCR and antigen tests when the test is covered by Medicare, but their cost-sharing may change when the PHE ends.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Private insurers: During the PHE, private insurers were required to provide at-home and lab tests for COVID-19 with no cost-sharing. That requirement ends<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>May 11th, but some plans may choose to continue the benefit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Services for independent living (SIL) has COVID-19 self-tests available for your household’s use, at no-cost Contact <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sunceraye <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>at <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>216-731-1529,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>if you like a box of two COVID-19 self-tests for use in your household.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>There's also still time to get free tests before the May 11th through the <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>U.S. Postal Service<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> to households that haven't already received 2 shipments. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicare beneficiaries are still entitled to obtain eight free tests over the counter every 30 days until May 11th.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For old, unused tests, the expiration date on the package may have been extended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Check their <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>website.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Doctor Vaccinating Patient. Image by Freepik.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>COVID-19 vaccines<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicaid: Medicaid will cover all COVID-19 vaccinations through September 2024.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicare: COVID-19 vaccinations will continue to be covered under Medicare Part B without cost sharing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Private Insurers: Because COVID-19 shots are a recommended vaccination, your plan likely will cover the shots without a copay or other cost-sharing. However,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>this may by state and insurance company.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Blue pills on white background. Image by Racool_studio on Freepik<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>COVID-19 treatment<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicaid: COVID-19 treatments, including the oral antiviral Paxlovid, will be covered with no cost sharing through September 2024. After that, coverage<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and cost will likely vary by state.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicare: There should no change in Medicare coverage of treatments once the PHE ends. In cases where cost sharing and deductibles apply now, they will<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>continue to apply.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The good news is that the antiviral treatment Paxlovid will most likely continue to be free for some time after the public health emergency expires. “As<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>long as there’s federal supply that the government purchased and distributed, that will be free for anybody,” says Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF, a health policy nonprofit.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Private insurers: When current inventories of Paxlovid are exhausted after the public health emergency ends, private insurers may ask you to pay a part<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of the cost, as they do with many pharmaceuticals. Pfizer likely will hike the price from what the government has been paying, already $530 per course<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of treatment. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For the Uninsured<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In 2021, more than 27 million Americans under the age of 65 had no health insurance, according to KFF, an independent source for health policy research,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>polling, and journalism. That number is likely to rise significantly as Medicaid reevaluates all beneficiaries’ eligibility.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As of late March, an average of 2,370 people with COVID-19 were being admitted to U.S. hospitals each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and Prevention (CDC). KFF reports the average cost of a COVID-19 hospitalization in 2020 was $41,611. People without insurance or support from other<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>safety-net programs will be responsible for the full costs of COVID testing, vaccines and treatments.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It is vital for everyone to try to find a way to afford health insurance, whether it’s through a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>private plan,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicaid,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>or <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Medicare.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Resources<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Laughlin. (2023, January 31). What does the end of the pandemic public health emergency mean for you. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 17, 2023,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>from <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>https://www.wcpo.com/news/national/what-happens-to-covid-testing-when-the-public-health-emergency-ends<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Rodriguez. (2023, February 4). The COVID emergency declaration is ending: What it means for tests, vaccines, treatment. USA TODAY. Retrieved April 17,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>2023, from <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/02/04/covid-emergency-declaration-ends-effects-vaccines-tests/11169642002/<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Rossheim, J. (2023, April 14). The Health Emergency Is Ending. Will COVID Costs Be Covered? SFGATE. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>https://www.sfgate.com/business/personalfinance/article/the-health-emergency-is-ending-will-covid-costs-17897997.php<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What happens to COVID testing when the public health emergency ends? (2023, April 11). The Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>https://www.wcpo.com/news/national/what-happens-to-covid-testing-when-the-public-health-emergency-ends<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. (2023, February 27). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Services. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-waivers-flexibilities-and-transition-forward-covid-19-public-health-emergency<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>facebook<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>twitter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>youtube<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>email<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>website<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Services for Independent Living<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>26250 Euclid Avenue, Suite 801<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Cleveland, Ohio 44132 United States<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>216.731.1529<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>info@sil-oh.org<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>