U.S. HHS extends Public Health Emergency

On April 12, 2022, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra renewed the determination that a Public Health Emergency (PHE) exists. Renewal of the COVID-19 PHE allows federal regulators to waive or modify normal requirements for Medicare and Medicaid providers, as well as private health insurers, for an additional 90 days.

The PHE has been in effect since January 27, 2020. Prior to this announcement, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services encouraged providers to prepare for the end of the PHE, which was due to expire on April 16, 2022.

As a result, providers and insurers in Michigan will continue to have more flexibilities when it comes to waiving key reporting requirements, and will experience fewer barriers to telehealth reimbursement under Medicare. While it is unclear whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will extend the PHE again this summer, Becerra has promised 60-day advance notice to providers and states regarding when the PHE will end.

This extension comes in response to the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across the country. While the number of Michigan COVID-19 cases has slowed in recent weeks, cases spiked nationally in early April 2022 due to a new subtype of the omicron variant.

Read more about this PHE extension and its implications for Michigan providers and insurers via The New York Times.