Governor Eric Holcomb has signed House Enrolled Act 1001 into law and this bill paved the road for the Governor to end the Indiana Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 that was first declared on March 6, 2020. The Governor formally ended the Indiana Public Health Emergency by signing an Executive Order 22-09. House Enrolled Act 1001 permits Indiana government to continue receiving certain federal Medicaid and food assistance funding, continues community vaccination clinic authority, and places parameters around employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates for some employers.
House Enrolled Act 1001 does not impact the Federal Public Health Emergency. HHS Secretary Becerra signed a 90-day extension of the in January that extends the federal blanket waivers another 90 days effective through April 16, 2022.
The following are impacts from House Enrolled Act 1001 and the end of Indiana’s Public Health Emergency:
- CMS COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate Unchanged. While House Enrolled Act 1001 places parameters around employer COVID-19 vaccination mandates, health care facilities that are subject to the federal mandate are exempt from the Indiana law. No change occurs relative to health care facility implementation of the CMS COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
- IDOH Waivers Will Continue Until Jul 1, 2022. IDOH blanket waivers for health care facility response to COVID-19 have been extended and will not expire on July 1, 2022. Future extension of IDOH orders is unknown at this time. IDOH blanket waivers for comprehensive care facilities can be found here. IDOH blanket waivers for residential care facilities can be found here.
- COVID-19 Temporary Healthcare Provider Registry Will Continue At Least Through April 16, 2022. A separate piece of legislation, House Enrolled Act 1003, will extend the COVID-19 Temporary Healthcare Provider Registry through the end of the Federal Public Health Emergency that is currently schedule to expire on April 16, 2022.