Since March 2020, The United States has been under an executive-ordered Public Health Emergency (PHE) due to COVID-19. And, according to the federal government, it will likely still be a “state of emergency” well into the first quarter of 2023.
The current order will expire October 15th. However, protocol is in place that requires the Biden administration to give 60 days notice of the PHE ending. Since this has not been issued, it will likely be renewed again until January 15, 2023.
Why the long emergency?
According to the CDC, the number of COVID deaths and hospitalizations continue to decline, but the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) keeps extending the federal PHE. Why? The only logical explanation for this is money and control.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), the following provisions will end with the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE).
- FDA Emergency Use Authorization for unapproved vaccines, tests, and treatments will end. This will cost the drug companies enormous amounts of money, being forced to continue through the standard approval processes to ensure safety and efficacy of vaccines, tests, drugs, and treatments.
- Federal coverage for vaccines, tests, and treatments will end. However, Medicare, medicaid, and most private insurance companies have already put measures in place to make sure coverage continues.
- Federal matching to facilities and providers for uninsured individuals who receive tests, vaccines, and treatments will stop. Unemployed and uninsured people will have to seek jobs to receive and/or pay for health coverage.
- Private health insurance companies can start sharing the costs of tests, vaccines, and treatments with their customers. As of now, they are required to cover up to eight tests a month to every insured individual. This results in an increased cost to the insurance company which is in turn applied to increased insurance premiums and deductibles for all their customers.
- Telemedicine flexibility will end, reinstating previous restrictions to rural areas and local providers. Out-of-state providers will have to adhere to each particular state’s restrictions on licensing. Many states have already put policies in place to continue the expansion in these areas even after the PHE ends.
- Federal restrictions on state-offered Medicaid programs will end. This will result in many people becoming ineligible for Medicaid, forcing them to seek employment to receive/pay for health insurance.
- Hospitals will no longer receive a 20% increase in Medicare reimbursement for treatment of patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Many of these patients are hospitalized for other reasons, but required testing and increase in Medicare reimbursement result in increased numbers and revenue (along with an increased cost burden to the already stressed Medicare system). According to the Mayo Clinic, this also puts a strain on hospitals as patients who test positive cannot be discharged to nursing homes or rehab facilities due to restrictions or understaffing.
- Federal mandate of acceptance of out-of-state licenses for providers and healthcare workers will end. States can (and many have already) choose to implement their own regulations for accepting out-of-state licenses. One example of this is the Nurse Licensure Compact, which states can choose whether or not to participate.
Vaccine mandates also involve vaccine tracking. The federal government keeps track of who gets vaccinated and who doesn’t. Provider-issued testing also requires result reporting to the federal government. What happened to the Right to Privacy? What other information is this allowing them to track about the private lives of their citizens?
MSN headline says what many people are already thinking: “Enough with the backdoor policymaking. It’s time to end the COVID public health emergency”. Many states have already rescinded or terminated their own state’s COVID-19 Emergency Declarations, and others continue to fight against federal restrictions.
What about Texas?
However, Texas is among the 14 states (CA, CO, CT, DE,GA, HI, IL, KS, NM, NY, RI, TX, WA, WV) to still have COVID-19 Emergency Declarations in place. While many have been urging Governor Abbott to end the harmful pandemic restrictions for Texas since the end of 2020, he has not done so. In August, Texas’ Emergency Declaration was extended once again until November 1, 2022, unless renewed…again.
Even with the end of the COVID-19 PHE, the federal government will find a way to stay in the money and stay in control. This is evident with the declaration of the Monkeypox PHE issued on August 4, 2022. And it is unlikely to end there.
The only way to get the US government out of the state of Texas and out of the personal lives of Texans is to depart from them altogether and become an independent nation. Call Abbott at (512) 463-1782 and tell him you want the feds out of the picture. Tell him to stop using COVID as an excuse for federal plunder. Tell him to end this intrusion – end the PHE and give Texans a chance to vote on our independence.
Christina is a 6th generation Texan with a rich history going back to before the Republic of Texas was formed. She is the mother of three wonderful children, also born and raised in Texas. She is an RN and has been in the nursing field for over 23 years. Along with her Associate's Degree in Nursing, she also has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology-Christian Counseling, with some Master's work in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She began writing poetry and short stories as a child, and was a staff writer for the Judson High School Newspaper. She is passionate about education, hard work, caring for people with the gifts that God has given her, and treating every human being with respect and love.
