AHA urges Administration to extend COVID-19 emergency declarations

To ensure continuation of critical 1135 waivers and Medicaid coverage flexibilities, the AHA today urged Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to renew for at least another 90 days the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, and President Biden to extend for another year the national emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic under the National Emergencies Act. Without further action, the PHE is set to expire Jan. 16 and the national emergency is set to expire March 1. 
 
"The emergency declarations have proven critical in equipping hospitals and health systems with the tools and resources necessary to manage the recent COVID-19 surges and ensure high-quality care in this unprecedented environment,” AHA said in separate letters to Becerra and Biden. “In their absence, the challenges of the pandemic will be exponentially more difficult to overcome.”