White House to extend PHE designation through April, reports day
The federal government will extend the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration until at least April, according to published reports.
The development would be roundly applauded by long-term care operators, and other healthcare providers.
American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in August that the sector sorely needed extensions until at least April to create a bigger window to lobby state legislatures to enrich their Medicaid pay rates.
“Our hope is that many of the states that have had Medicaid add-ons would convert those add-ons into the base Medicaid rates,” he told McKnight’s. “That will be a big push of our affiliates in the first three months of 2023. If the public health emergency ends at the very beginning of 2023 and state legislators haven’t acted yet, it’s going to be a very tough time.”
Read the full story at McKnights Long Term Care News.
