Gov. Sununu takes lead on letter to Biden urging end to public health emergency

CONCORD — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu was the lead signer of a joint letter from 25 Republican governors encouraging President Joe Biden to end the federal Public Health Emergency stemming from COVID-19.

The letter sent to the White House on Thursday requests that the public emergency not be renewed beyond April 2023, and says "We have come so far since the beginning of the pandemic — we now have the tools and information necessary to help protect our communities from COVID-19" and that "it is time we move on from the pandemic and get back to life as normal."

The governors' letter cites increased Medicaid expenses as a financial burden on states as 20 million individuals have been added to the rolls since the beginning of the pandemic.

"While the enhanced federal match provides some assistance to blunt the increasing costs due to higher enrollment numbers in our Medicaid programs, states are required to increase our non-federal match to adequately cover all enrollees and cannot disenroll members from the program unless they do so voluntarily," the letter reads.

"Making the situation worse, we know that a considerable number of individuals have returned to employer sponsored coverage or are receiving coverage through the individual market, and yet states still must still account and pay for their Medicaid enrollment in our non-federal share. This is costing states hundreds of millions of dollars."

The public health emergency is currently slated to expire Jan. 11, 2023, but is expected to be extended at least once more for 90 days, until April.