It’s a new phase of the era of COVID-19. President Joe Biden announced this week that the national emergency and public health emergency surrounding the pandemic will end on May 11.

The declarations were first put in place by President Donald Trump in 2020. There have been nearly two dozen amendments to the emergency orders since then.

They gave the federal government the ability to change requirements in a range of areas, including the coverage, cost and payment for COVID-19 testing, treatments, and vaccines, Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP flexibilities, as well as other private insurance flexibilities.

What this means, in short, is insurance companies will no longer be required by the federal government to cover COVID-19 testing and vaccines.

State governments are also pulling back extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that had been implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For Michigan families, that means their food benefits will be reduced by $95 starting in March.

According to the governor, the additional food assistance was ended in the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 that was signed Dec. 29.

We don’t know yet how these changes will impact the average citizen. But there are people out there that will struggle to put food on the table once all the changes have been enacted.

In an article published in Friday’s Mining Journal, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief deputy director for opportunity Lewis Roubal said about 1.3 million Michigan residents have received that extra $95 per month.

“We appreciate the support from our federal partners. Now that we know the additional benefits will be going away, we want to make sure our clients are prepared for this change, as we realize inflation is affecting all of us,” Roubal said.

SNAP itself is funded by the federal government, and the program spent $3.25 billion in Michigan in 2021 according to the Michigan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

According to that report, individual SNAP benefits will be reduced by about 30%. With the pandemic, each recipient was getting about $212 per month to spend on food. According to the MCBPP report that number will likely be reduced to roughly $162.

It will be interesting to see how these changes affect food pantries, Meals on Wheels and other charitable organizations that help those in need.

We also predict that fewer people will be motivated to get tested for COVID-19 if they have to pay for that testing out of pocket.

That being said, it now our job — as it has always been — to take care of one another and check in our neighbors. People may still be struggling, and as an Upper Peninsula community, we hope the good nature, strength and generosity we’re known for will help us navigate these new changes.