HHS Announces New Program to Maintain Uninsured Access to COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments
- April 21, 2023
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled April 18 a new program intended to help ensure uninsured Americans continue to have access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
The $1.1 billion public-private partnership was developed as part of plans to transition the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments from the government to the traditional health care delivery system.
Under the HHS Bridge Access Program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will use its existing public health authority to purchase COVID-19 vaccines at a discount and allocate them to state and local health departments, which will distribute them to pharmacies and local health centers.
As part of the program, CDC also will contract with pharmacy chains and independent pharmacies so they can continue to offer COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to the uninsured with no out-of-pocket costs. Pharmacies will receive a per-dose payment for administering COVID-19 care. HHS is relying on a commitment from COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to provide vaccines at no cost for the uninsured, though “the details of how this commitment would be fulfilled has not been fully clear,” the agency said.
The contracts also will allow uninsured individuals to receive access to certain COVID-19 treatments, including Paxlovid and Lagevrio, at the participating pharmacies with no out-of-pocket expenses.
The agency said it will use existing COVID-19 supplemental funds to support the program through December 2024. HHS hopes the program will serve as a model for a permanent Vaccines for Adults program, which was proposed as part of the administration’s budget request.