You may have read that on April 10, President Biden signed House Joint Resolution 7, immediately terminating the national health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic under the National Emergencies Act. You also may recall that earlier this year, the Biden Administration announced that both the National Health Emergency and the HHS Public Health Emergency would terminate on May 11, 2023.
While the House Joint Resolution was passed and signed to impose a faster end to the National Health Emergency, this will not impact the end of the Outbreak Period as defined under the National Health Emergency’s Timeline Extension Rule.
The Timeline Extension Rule, and the end of the related Outbreak Period, are tied to the national health emergency as declared under the Stafford Act. House Joint Resolution 7 does not end the Stafford Act declaration until May 11, 2023, which would keep the end of the Outbreak Period as July 10, 2023. These dates were confirmed in recent health plan amendments sent to MedBen clients.
This means that the amendments MedBen clients have signed are still valid and meet the requirements set forth for the end of both the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and the COVID-19 National Health Emergency. We will keep you apprised of any developments or further guidance from the agencies as these termination dates approach. In the meantime, please contact MedBen Director of Compliance Erin Kelly.
Read more about what the end of these emergencies means to your plan in this recent MedBen Monitor newsletter.