AHA urges Biden, HHS to extend emergency declarations amidst COVID-19 surge
In the absence of those declarations, the hospital group expects the challenges of the pandemic to be "exponentially more difficult" to overcome.
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The Omicron and Delta variants have caused COVID-19 case counts to surge once again, prompting the American Hospital Association to press the federal government on extending the emergency declarations that had been set to expire soon.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, AHA President and CEO Richard Pollack urged the White House to extend the national emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic for another year under the National Emergencies Act.
In a separate letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, the AHA asked Secretary Xavier Becerra to renew the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration.
"Both of these steps are necessary so healthcare providers can continue to offer the most efficient and effective care possible during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic," wrote Pollack. "More specifically, these declarations are necessary to ensure continuation of the critical 1135 waivers and Medicaid coverage flexibilities."
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
On Feb. 24, 2021, Biden issued a notice continuing the national emergency until March 1 of this year. On Oct. 15, 2021, Becerra extended the PHE declaration through Jan. 16. The AHA expressed its appreciation for these actions, saying they proved critical in equipping hospitals and health systems with the tools and resources necessary to manage the recent surges.
But in the absence of those declarations, the hospital group expects the challenges of the pandemic to be "exponentially more difficult" to overcome.
Specifically, the group cited the ongoing and unprecedented staffing, resource and financial challenges that have occurred during the pandemic, and the fast-spreading variants that have once again threatened to overwhelm the U.S. healthcare system, from emergency departments to intensive care units.
"Since last Friday, there are over 1.5 million new COVID-19 cases, with over 101,300 hospitalizations (up from 96,475 on Friday) and a 26.6% 7-day average COVID-19 test positivity rate," according to the AHA.
Many states have reported record high COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, with drug and device shortages, as well as employee illness and burnout, rising dramatically in recent weeks. The AHA expects these challenges to persist throughout the rest of this year.
"While not all areas of the country are experiencing COVID-19 surges simultaneously, every hospital and health system is operating in a COVID-19 environment, requiring continued assistance from the federal government," wrote Pollack. "We are hopeful that as the vaccination rate increases and other COVID-19 countermeasures are developed and utilized, the PHE will eventually wane. Until that time, however, our members need the assistance and flexibility from the federal government."
THE LARGER TREND
Nationally, the U.S. has struggled to shake the pandemic, which is currently experiencing yet another surge. The Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker shows the country's 28-day case total at about 12.8 million, bringing the overall total to more than 63 million. In the past 28 days, 40,417 Americans have died of COVID-19 or a combination of the coronavirus and other comorbidities.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
