Dear Community Leader,

On April 11, the U.S. national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic ended quietly when President Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close. The transition began in earnest months earlier, while a separate Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Emergency officially expired May 11.

We’ve seen a tremendous impact on our society and an evolution in the healthcare industry over the last three years as we’ve battled and lived with COVID-19. The close of this chapter signals more change, while other elements will remain firmly rooted in place.

There are real world implications of the end of the national emergency and public health emergency declarations, including millions of Americans losing Medicaid benefits. Texas, the state with the highest percentage of uninsured people in the country, ended continuous Medicaid coverage on March 31. For the last several months, Texas Health has been communicating with patients who previously used Medicaid to inform them of the change and assist them in finding coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, so they can continue their care.

Thankfully, telehealth flexibilities will continue, although through a tangled web of legislation and waivers that must be continually monitored, extended, advocated for and enacted until rules are in place that match the tremendous advances over the last few years. You can read more in our legislative update, and see how providing care in new ways and places is benefiting North Texans in one consumer’s story.

As the pandemic stretched on, so did the problems it created or exacerbated – challenges like unemployment, mental health issues, food insecurity and access to affordable healthcare. We detail the findings of our latest Community Health Needs Assessment and spotlight a program to support mental and physical well-being.

And we are all feeling the impacts of rising inflation and tightening budgets, so the effects on the cost of care have never been more important. I’ve included an update on price transparency and understanding the cost of care.

Like many other industries, ours must continue in its efforts to be more equitable and respond to increasing acts of violence, and I’ve shared how we’re responding at Texas Health.

Finally, and just as importantly, I want to understand if these updates are helpful, and what you’d like to hear more (or less) about. Please help me by responding to our survey so we can make good use of your time and our efforts. My goal in sharing Community Update is to keep my fellow business and community leaders informed about what we’re seeing here at Texas Health, where we need your assistance, and how we can keep making North Texas an even better place to work, live and play.

As always, I also welcome your thoughts and questions at AskBarclay@TexasHealth.org.

Be well,

Barclay Berdan