HHS Renews COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration

The Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, has renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration. The renewal went into effect on July 20, 2021 and lasts for 90 days (until mid-October). This also means that any Medicaid eligibility coverage provisions whose terms were dictated by the PHE will remain in place until mid-October.       

The PHE has been in effect since late January 2020; it was last renewed in April and its recent renewal was expected as it has been renewed every 90 days since the beginning of the pandemic.