End of COVID-19 emergency means more potential expenses for Kentuckians

KENTUCKY (WKYT) - The national emergency over COVID-19 ended Thursday.

President Joe Biden set May 11 as the day to officially end the emergency. The federal government first declared a public health emergency for COVID-19 on January 31, 2020. By March, lockdowns had swept through the country.

The ending of the national emergency doesn’t mean that COVID-19 is no longer going to be an issue for anyone. It does mean though if you or someone you know is infected by COVID-19, or it impacts you in some way, it will transfer to more of a normal health care issue and expense.

In Kentucky, state health leaders also say it’s finally time to move past certain things and one most noticeable has to do with information on the state website.

“The website is going to change later today. There will be less information on it. Still some information. The public should know we are going to stay vigilant. Tracking things and looking for trends. But it’s time for society to move on. Stop focusing disproportionately on this one disease at this point,” said Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky Public Health Commissioner.

Dr. Stack says most people have already moved past COVID-19, but if you get sick with it now, health insurance, co-pays or out-of-pocket expenses will come into play.

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