Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
•••
The 27.5 million Americans lacking health insurance must not be left behind as the nation moves off war footing against COVID-19 and back toward normality as the pandemic's third year ends.
Emergency measures in place since early 2020 have made COVID tests, vaccines and therapeutics such as Paxlovid available at no cost to consumers, thanks to the federal government distributing these critical supplies. But on Jan. 30, the Biden administration announced that COVID-related emergency declarations will end on May 11.
That doesn't mean a hard stop in early May when it comes to no-cost COVID vaccines and treatment: There are existing government stockpiles. But it will mark the beginning of an important transition — shifting responsibility back to health insurers.
It's a process often referred to as "commercialization." It's important for those with a health plan and those without one to understand the implications.
For those with a health plan, the shift means that COVID prevention and medication will be covered similarly to vaccines and treatments for other conditions. What will that look like for Minnesotans who have coverage? The Minnesota Council of Health Plans (MCHP), the trade group for the state's health insurers, had this to say:
"Health plans are continuing to evaluate their approach to coverage and cost-sharing for COVID-related services, and there may be variation based on type of coverage (e.g., fully insured, self-insured or government-sponsored)," the organization said in a statement this week. But, "Cost sharing policies that are tied to the end of the [public health emergency] will revert to the standard policies applied to other acute illnesses."