After three difficult years that shifted our lives, the Biden administration will declare an end to the pandemic emergency on May 11. What will this mean for Americans?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID is not dead, but mutating to new strains. It killed more than 1 million Americans between 2020 and 2022, although masks and vaccinations gave people a way to protect themselves. Like the flu, COVID continues to sicken and kill vulnerable people.
As the virus raced through crowded workplaces and institutions in 2020, local governments shut down restaurants and schools. The federal government paid for tests and vaccine development, made loans to businesses and disbursed emergency payments to taxpayers. Now that schools and businesses have re-opened, most of that aid is in the rearview mirror.
- Extended federal unemployment benefits ended in 2021.
- An expanded child tax credit, enacted in 2021, benefited some 35 million families who received half their benefit in monthly checks. Congress let the expansion expire on Dec. 31, 2021.
- Rental assistance for tenants who lost work due to the pandemic ended in November 2022 in Central Oregon. NeighborImpact deployed $23,753,061 in pandemic-related rental assistance to 3,647 households, according to Molly Heiss, housing stabilization director at NeighborImpact. This money benefited 9,370 individuals.
- In February 2023, pandemic SNAP benefits ended for 17,047 households (30,439 individuals) in Central Oregon, according to Jake Sunderland, press secretary for the Oregon Department of Human Services. From now on, recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will get only their regular amount to spend on groceries.
Households will experience a 31% decrease in food benefits, Sunderland said in an email. The average regular SNAP amount per household is $397. The pandemic allotment gave families an extra $179 per month. SNAP benefits permanently increased in October 2021 and SNAP income eligibility limits increased in 2022.
Every week, about 90 people pick up produce and goods pulled from the shelves of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods at the House of Hope Ministries food bank in Redmond. More people are coming to the location at the Lavender Thrift Store, looking for now more expensive foods like jam, cheese and meat, said Darlene Woods, ministry president.
"They say, 'Thank God you're here. We got our food stamps cut and food is going up in price,'" Woods said.
- Oregonians on the Oregon Health Plan did not have to re-certify for eligibility during the pandemic. Now ODHS must review eligibility for all 1.47 million OHP members, according to an Oregon Health Authority press release from Feb. 13. ODHS will send renewal notices to each household between April 2023 and January 2024. If workers cannot reach the beneficiary, ODHS can end their health insurance. Those no longer eligible can continue their benefits for another 60 days. Those on OHP can update their contact information at OHA's "End of Public Health Emergency" web page.
"This is the largest Medicaid renewal in the program's history," reported Rachana Pradhan from Kaiser Health News on the PBS NewsHour on March 1. Because some recipients moved during the pandemic, they may not receive the notices, she said.
When continuous coverage for Medicaid ends, about 8.2 million people in the U.S. would no longer qualify, stated the federal Department of Health and Human Services in an issue brief on Aug. 19, 2022. Another 6.8 million would be terminated even though they are still eligible.
- Free COVID tests, vaccinations and treatment will probably last through fall 2023, predicted Emily Horton from Deschutes County Health Services. She manages the COVID-19 recovery and emergency preparedness program. Currently, the health department gives vaccinations and test kits free at different sites.
Services, presently including tests, are available at the Deschutes County website in English and Spanish at deschutes.org/.
"Once the test kits run out, we will probably focus on vulnerable populations to have access to testing," Horton said. "The same thing will probably happen with vaccinations."
Those who test positive and lack health insurance can click on the link, "If you have COVID-19" and scroll down to Oregon Health Authority-COVID-19 Telehealth Consultation to get a prescription for Paxlovid, Horton said.
—Denise Holley is a retired newspaper reporter and author of the book "Why the Undocumented Belong to America." She lives in Redmond.
