By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds and two dozen other Republican governors are urging President Biden to end the national public health emergency for COVID in April.

Ending the national public health emergency will mean emergency Medicaid insurance coverage for millions of Americans will end. In Iowa, Medicaid enrollment is 48% higher than before the pandemic. Reynolds and the other governors say some individuals are no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage under traditional rules, but the national public health emergency is keeping them in the program and that’s negatively impacting states’ budgets.

Reynolds ended her own statewide public health emergency in February and she says it’s time for the federal government to do the same.

President Trump declared COVID a national emergency in March of 2020. President Biden has extended the order through next month and is expected to extend it again through April. Reynolds and the 24 other GOP governors are asking Biden to let the pandemic declaration expire at that time.