When there is a disaster or event (manmade or natural) that threatens the health and wellbeing of the population then the ‘Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may, under section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, determine that: a) a disease or disorder presents a public health emergency (PHE); or b) that a public health emergency, including significant outbreaks of infectious disease or bioterrorist attacks, otherwise exists.’ Examples of public health emergencies include the anthrax attacks in the early 2000s, the 2009 Swine flu and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services).
The declaration lasts for 90 days or the duration of the emergency. It can be extended and in the case of Covid 19, the public health emergency has been extended several times. All relevant governmental agencies are kept informed.
The Covid public health emergency was proclaimed by President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020. Read the full text here.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) and consistent with section 1135 of the Social Security Act (SSA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5), do hereby find and proclaim that the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States constitutes a national emergency, beginning March 1, 2020.
Federal Register
The Health and Human Services Secretary is empowered to waive program requirements for Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that allowed millions of people who otherwise might have been ineligible, to stay on the Medicaid rolls. Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccination was paid for by the Federal government.
You can watch the declaration of the Public Health Emergency here.
The Covid-19 public health emergency has been extended many times and is set to end on May 11, 2023. The end of the emergency will see many of the pandemic related provisions that covered free Covid-19 testing, vaccinations and health care to end. Medicaid allowed continuous coverage for an additional 20 million people without them having to renew their application annually. Medicaid unwinding is the process by which state Medicaid programs return to following federal rules as of April 1, 2023 which requires enrollees to renew their coverage annually. Many of them will lose their health coverage because their income is too high or their children aged out of the program.
Social Media Trends as of March 15, 2023
Because “Public Health Emergency” can refer to disasters other than Covid-19 I have not included social media statistics for this.
Sources:
“A Public Health Emergency Declaration.” US Department of Health and Human Services. URL: https://aspr.hhs.gov/legal/PHE/Pages/Public-Health-Emergency-Declaration.aspx.
NBC News Channel. “Trump Administration Declares COVID-19 A Public Health Emergency | NBC News.” YouTube. 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYXBGARSSo.
Proclamation 9994 of March 13, 2020. “Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak.” Federal Register. March 13, 2020. URL: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/18/2020-05794/declaring-a-national-emergency-concerning-the-novel-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak.