On Oct. 24, 2009, President Barack Obama declared the swine flu (N1n1) outbreak a national emergency. The declaration made it easier for U.S. medical facilities to handle a surge in flu patients by allowing the waiver of some requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs as needed.

The H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, is a type of influenza A virus. During the 2009-10 flu season, a new H1N1 virus began causing illness in humans. H1N1, declared a public health emergency earlier in the year, had killed more than 1,000 people in the U.S. and put more than 20,000 in the hospital since it emerged earlier in the year.