After the federal government failed to notify states or healthcare providers on Friday of any intention to lift the U.S. Covid public health emergency, it will remain in place until at least January 11, 2023.
Due to the health emergency status, millions of Americans can keep receiving free tests, vaccines, and treatments, and most New Jersey residents can keep their coverage through FamilyCare or Medicaid.
Officials from the Biden administration said that one of the reasons they decided to keep the health emergency in place, for the time being, was the possibility of a winter surge in Covid cases.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra has previously committed to providing at least 60 days’ notice before lifting the emergency declaration, allowing hospitals and other healthcare providers to resume normal operations. The public health emergency declaration was extended by HHS in October, to January 11.
The government will begin shifting the cost of healthcare for Covids, such as vaccines and treatments, to private insurance and government health plans once the health emergency has passed.
According to HHS, once Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) resume normal operations, as many as 15 million people may no longer have access to health insurance.
When the health emergency is lifted, NJ FamilyCare will reevaluate all Lakewood families who are currently enrolled to determine whether or not they are still eligible for coverage. People in New Jersey will receive correspondence from the State or their County Board of Social Services as part of the review process.
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In order for NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid to determine a member’s continued eligibility for health coverage, the member will be required to provide or confirm additional information. If a member does not respond to NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid correspondence, they may lose their health care coverage.
