WASHINGTON — The Biden administration plans to spend more than $1 billion on a new program to provide free coronavirus shots to uninsured Americans once the vaccine hits the commercial market later in the day. this year, administration officials said Tuesday.
The program for the uninsured, which will be modeled in part on an existing childhood immunization program and will cover some 30 million people, will include an unprecedented partnership with pharmacy chains where the government will pay the administrative costs for the uninsured. Dispensing medication to patients. Pfizer and Moderna have committed to providing free injections to those underinsured.
The administration’s move partially addresses a critical gap in the nation’s coronavirus strategy ahead of a new vaccination campaign with improved shots likely to begin as soon as summer. Federal officials have said they no longer plan to buy doses for all Americans as they did in previous coronavirus vaccination campaigns, allowing the vaccine to be sold commercially and giving rights to other manufacturers set their own prices.
The new vaccine initiative comes as the administration is looking beyond the coronavirus public health emergency, first declared under President Donald J. Trump on 2020 and was renewed under President Biden. The government has a plan to allow emergencies to happen Expires May 11puts the country on a path when Covid-19 will be treated as another respiratory illness, like the flu.
The vaccine initiative is a priority for Mr Biden’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, and will also cover some costs related to Covid-19 treatments. for the uninsured. Additionally, the administration is working on a $5 billion program to promote next-generation coronavirus treatments and vaccines, said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Covid-19 response coordinator Biden, said in an interview.
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Dr Jha said: “Covid is not over yet. “And while we are coming out of this public health emergency and all the flexibility it offers, we are committed to ensuring that we continue to fight Covid. And that means making sure everyone has access to vaccines, treatments and testing.”
Ending the public health emergency will not have any immediate impact on Americans’ access to a coronavirus vaccine. For now, people who want a vaccine or booster shot can still get it for free from the stockpile of vaccines the federal government already has on hand. That includes an additional round of updated booster shots for people 65 years of age or older or immunocompromised people, which the Food and Drug Administration authorization on Tuesday.
In June, federal regulators are expected to select a new formulation for a coronavirus vaccine that targets versions of the virus they expect to be widely available by the end of the year. year. Those retooled footage will most likely come out around September, similar to the timing of last year’s enhanced campaign.
The administration’s new initiative will be called the Bridge Access Program for Covid-19 Vaccines and Drugs. As part of the program, federal officials will also purchase vaccines and distribute them to state and local health departments.
As coronavirus vaccines move into commercial markets, Pfizer and Moderna say they plan to charge over $100 per dose, or about four to five times the price the federal government paid for the companies’ shots during the most recent boost campaign. Dr Jha said White House officials “don’t think that kind of price hike is justifiable.”
For most Americans, revised shots later this year won’t bring any out-of-pocket costs. Most private health plans will cover them, as will Medicare and Medicaid. Dose costs for uninsured children will be federally covered Vaccine program for children.
Last year, the Biden administration proposed creating a program called Vaccines for Adults, simulating the concept used for uninsured children. But administration officials have been unable to convince lawmakers to set up such an initiative.
For the new program, the administration is counting on significant help from vaccine companies. In February, Moderna said it would use a so-called patient assistance program to provide free doses to uninsured Americans. A company spokesman said Pfizer plans to make the vaccine available for free through a similar program.
The details of those programs are still being worked out. Jennifer Kates, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said the drug company’s assistance programs vary by company and drug type, a patchwork system that she says can be complex and not accessible. Dr Kates said companies often require proof of income or proof that patients are uninsured.
“It’s Bandages,” she says of support programs. “The point is that these are not forced or sure bets. These are voluntary efforts by companies.”
Uncertainty around how long the drugmakers’ program can last, she added, “raises the question of whether this is a long-term solution that people can fully count on.” or not.”
