President Obama recently declared the swine flu virus a national emergency, but what exactly does that mean?
The national emergency declaration, by definition, means certain government functions are invoked and suspended during the state of national emergency, allowing for expedited care for those in need during the emergency.
This past June the World Health Organization upgraded H1N1 from phase five to a phase six pandemic, which is the highest level of pandemic. The public may be familiar with these declarations in regard to terrorism, but the H1N1 virus is the most recent pandemic resulting from a health risk to the public, unrelated to terrorism.
Obama’s declaration of a national emergency means hospitals are given the freedom to set up care sites outside of hospitals, such as in schools, parking lots and other available areas without the federal ‘red tape’. If the hospital creates a health care site within 250 yards of the hospital, they qualify for federal reimbursement for the treatment of patients. The intent of setting up off site care locations is not only to slow the spread of the virus, but also to prevent overcrowding in the emergency room, which could free up space for other illnesses.
The declaration also allows hospitals to modify patient check-in procedures, minimizing paperwork which allows faster treatment to treat each illness.
An additional benefit is that changes and waivers to coverage may be made involving Medicare and Medicaid throughout the duration of the state of emergency. These changes and waivers may provide treatment to those who do not qualify under their current insurance.
The overall intent of the declaration is to give hospitals the freedom to fight the swine flu without federal paperwork, which ultimately slows the health care process. This is particularly important when hospitals are dealing with a virus that is spread rapidly.