Renewal of Determination that a Public Health Emergency Exists as a Result of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Last Wednesday, January 11, 2023, Xavier Becerra, the Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services renewed that a public health emergency continues to exist as a result of COVID-19. This renewal is effective as of January 11, 2023 and will be extended for 90-days through to May 11, 2023.

In the most recent RMTS & SMAA Workgroup meeting, DHCS stated that two waivers of flexibility have been placed on notice in accordance with this updated Medi-Cal PHE. 1) The FMAP that was previously increased to 56.2% during the PHE will be decreased quarterly until December 2024, when it is expected to be back to its pre-PHE FMAP of 50%. 2) The waiver implemented that allowed continuous coverage of Medi-Cal members throughout the PHE is set to expire on May 11, 2023. At that time, the Medi-Cal redeterminations process will resume, and Medicaid will begin disenrolling individuals that do not provide proof of eligibility. In anticipation, DHCS has encouraged LEAs to promote continuity of coverage through their Coverage Ambassador Program and toolkit, which can be found by clicking here.

For the full Public Health Emergency Declaration, click here.