HHS Secretary Azar Renews COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declaration

On Thursday, July 23, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced via Twitter that he had signed a renewal of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, which was scheduled to end this week. The declaration, available here, is effective July 25, 2020, and will continue for 90 days (until October 23, 2020) unless an earlier termination date is announced.

The renewal of the public health emergency period impacts a number of temporary rules, such as requiring medical plans to cover COVID-19 diagnostic testing and related services at no cost, and providing additional time to elect and pay COBRA premiums and to submit benefit claims and appeals. (See our recent blog posts, including Departments Issue Further Guidance Under FFCRA and CARES Act Affecting Health Plans, Labor and Treasury Departments Provide Retirement Plan Relief and Extend Notice and Claim Deadlines, and Agencies Issue Guidance Extending Certain Employee Benefit Plan Deadlines.)

Please contact a member of the Winston & Strawn Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group or your Winston relationship attorney for further information.

View all of our COVID-19 perspectives here. Contact a member of our COVID-19 Legal Task Force here.