The COVID-19 public health emergency is set to end May 11, according to a statement from the Office of Management and Budget.
The statement is in response to proposed Republican legislation in the House of Representatives that sought an earlier end to the public health emergency, which ushered in consumer protections, funding and flexibilities to the healthcare sector, Healthcare Dive reports.
An abrupt end to the PHE would create “wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system,” the Biden administration said in a statement.
The Biden administration warned that hospitals are at risk of revenue losses and care delays if the public health emergency ends abruptly.
Hospitals and other providers “will be plunged into chaos without adequate time to retrain staff and establish new billing processes, likely leading to disruptions in care and payment delays, and many facilities around the country will experience revenue losses,” the administration said in a statement.
As part of the public health emergency, hospitals received a pay increase for Medicare members discharged after a COVID-19 diagnosis, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Read more.
