Medicaid
Article

Bridging the COVID Cliff: preparing for the Public Health Emergency Unwind, watch webinar

Community Solutions Team
Transforming data into progress
Additional Contributors
No items found.
May 9, 2022
Read time:
Download Fact Sheets
Register now
Share this resource
Subscribe to our Newsletter
By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download this as a PDF

The flexibility and expansions that kept many households afloat during the pandemic will end when the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires, perhaps as soon as July, causing a COVID Cliff. Families still fighting to gain stability will face the end of enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the redetermination of the full Medicaid caseload for the first time in over two years, resumed federal student loan payments, and more.

 The goal of the Coalition is to facilitate a thoughtful process and coordinated communications effort between state officials, county jobs and family services agencies and community organizations to help prepare both systems and recipients for the eventual PHE unwind.

To prepare for the many changes prompted by the end of the PHE, Advocates for Ohio’s Future convened a new coalition, the Ohio COVID Recovery Coalition. The goal of the Coalition is to facilitate a thoughtful process and coordinated communications effort between state officials, county jobs and family services agencies and community organizations to help prepare both systems and recipients for the eventual PHE unwind, and the subsequent end of emergency flexibilities and program expansions. On April 25, a webinar convening experts on each of the three Coalition focus areas—Nutrition, Healthcare, and Family Stability and Supports—laid out the facts, challenges, and recommendations.

WATCH THE WEBINAR: Nutrition, Healthcare, and Family Stability and Supports

April 25 webinar recording: Ohio COVID Recovery Coalition PHE Unwind  

Slide deck: Graphs, links, and contact information

Timeline: Pandemic Emergency Support Expiration

May 16, 2022: Expected 60-day notice of non-renewal of federal PHE from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ohio Department of Medicaid begins eligibility redetermination activities.  

June 1, 2022: Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits for K-12 students expire for 2021-2022 school year.  

June 30, 2022: National child nutrition waivers expire on June 30, 2022, without congressional and administrative action. This includes summer meals, out-of-school meals, grab-and-go and meals.  

July 1, 2022: OhioRISE, Ohio Medicaid’s program for multi-system youth, goes live  

July 15, 2022: Expected end of federal PHE by HHS, or 90-day extension through October 13. This impacts Medicaid redetermination, changes household SNAP allotments and ends expanded SNAP eligibility SNAP for college students, and ends telehealth and telemedicine waivers for some Medicaid and Medicare services.  

August 31, 2022: Federal student loan payments resume, along with, collections on defaulted loans, and interest accrual.  

October-December: Remaining Ohio Medicaid Next Generation program transitions implemented on staggered basis.  

Source: AOF Pandemic Emergency Supports Expiration Timeline

Contextualizing the PHE Unwind

In the lead-up to the webinar discussion, speakers introduced the impacts on each of their areas of expertise and the three focus areas of the Coalition. During March and April, each respective working group released blogs, analyzing details of the policies and practices and highlighting steps Ohioans can take to prepare for the PHE expiration and to maintain eligible supports as they work to recover from the pandemic.

Taking steps to address the SNAP Benefit Cliff

With COVID-19 infection rates steadily declining, the end of the federal PHE is looming. And while the end of this unprecedented pandemic is undoubtedly a good thing, after more than two years, pandemic supports have become integral in the lives of many low-income families, many of which were struggling long before the pandemic. Since many of the programs are directly tied to the federal PHE declaration, when the PHE, and thus the temporary emergency supports ends, it will create a significantbenefit cliff. The extra benefits are currently anticipated to end abruptly rather than phasing out.

 SNAP households will see an average of $80 in benefits per person per month. Statewide, Ohio families will lose $120 million in food purchasing power per month. Families with children and older adults will see the deepest cuts to their SNAP benefits.

Source: Hope Lane, Public Health Emergency Unwind, Nutrition

Avoiding a Medicaid enrollment catastrophe

Of all the activities of the Recovery Coalition, the issue of enrollment has received the most attention. When looking at enrollment since March 2020, the total caseload for the program increased by nearly 550,000. Out of this group, over 141,000 are parents, about 134,000 are children, and nearly 255,000 are working-age adults.  

As a public health safety measure, the PHE prevents states from unnecessarily disenrolling beneficiaries as a condition of accepting enhanced federal funds. This coverage maintenance has created a lifeline for families experiencing the economic fallout of the pandemic, ensuring individuals had access to treatments, vaccinations, and tests during the pandemic. However, once the PHE ends, so does this protection, meaning millions of Ohioans’ coverage is at risk.  

Source: Loren Anthes, Unwinding the Public health Emergency: Medicaid

Payment delinquencies expected to increase when student loan payments resume

Studies throughout the course of the pandemic, including a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, show that if/when payments resume there will be a rise in payment delinquencies. This is an important consideration in the midst of many other pandemic related supports are expiring concurrently, stretching household budgets even thinner.  

Source: Tara Britton, Public Health Emergency Unwind: What’s going on with student loans?  

Updates: Student loan repayment paused again, until at least August 31  

Download Fact Sheets

District 10

Download

All Council Districts 2024

Download

District 4

Download

District 2

Download

District 11

Download

District 9

Download

District 8

Download

District 5

Download

District 7

Download

District 1

Download

District 3

Download

District 6

Download

West Boulevard

Download

University

Download

Union-Miles

Download

Tremont

Download

Stockyards

Download

St.Clair-Superior

Download

Old Brooklyn

Download

Ohio City

Download

North Shore Collinwood

Download

Mount Pleasant

Download

Lee-Seville

Download

Lee-Harvard

Download

Kinsman

Download

Kamm's Corners

Download

Jefferson

Download

Goodrich-Kirtland Park

Download

Glenville

Download

Fairfax

Download

Euclid-Green

Download

Edgewater

Download

Downtown

Download

Detroit Shoreway

Download

Cudell

Download

Collinwood-Nottingham

Download

Clark-Fulton

Download

Central

Download

Buckeye-Woodhill

Download

Buckeye-Shaker Square

Download

Brooklyn Centre

Download

Broadway-Slavic Village

Download

Bellaire-Puritas

Download

All Neighborhoods 2024

Download

West Boulevard Factsheet

Download

University Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Union-Miles Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Tremont Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Stockyards Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

St. Clair-Superior Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Old Brooklyn Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Ohio City Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

North Shore Collinwood Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Lee-Seville Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Lee-Harvard Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Kinsman Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Kamm's Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Jefferson Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Hough Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Hopkins Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Goodrich-Kirtland Park Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Glenville Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Fairfax Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Euclid-Green Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Edgewater Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Downtown Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Cuyahoga Valley Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Cudell Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Collinwood-Nottingham Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Clark-Fulton Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Central Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Buckeye-Shaker Square Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Brooklyn Centre Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Broadway-Slavic Village Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

Bellaire-Puritas Neighborhood Factsheet

Download

All Neighborhoods 2016

Download

District 2

Download

District 1

Download

Ohio Women Statewide

Download

All Women Fact Sheets

Download

Wyandot Women

Download

Wood Women

Download

Williams Women

Download

Wayne Women

Download

Washington Women

Download

Warren Women

Download

Vinton Women

Download

Van Wert Women

Download

Union Women

Download

Tuscarawas Women

Download

Trumbell Women

Download

Summit Women

Download

Stark Women

Download

Shelby Women

Download

Seneca Women

Download

Scioto Women

Download

Sandusky Women

Download
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download report

Subscribe to our newsletter

5 Things you need to know arrives on Mondays with the latest articles, events, and advocacy developments in Ohio

Explore the fact sheets

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique.

No Related Fact Sheets

Explore Topics

Browse articles, research, and testimony.

Poverty & Safety Net
Article

Sixty-one health and human service levies appear on ballots across Ohio

Kyle Thompson
October 21, 2024
Medicaid
Article

Setting the Medicaid Growth Rate

Brandy Davis
October 21, 2024
Poverty & Safety Net
Article

Staying nonpartisan when everyone is talking about the upcoming election

Emily Campbell
October 21, 2024
Older Adults
Article

Council on Older Persons (COOP): Older adults ensure strong neighborhoods

Community Solutions Team
October 17, 2024