A federal program providing free COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured and underinsured adults will be canceled this summer ahead of the fall rollout of updated vaccines to combat the latest variants. Ru.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the Bridge Access Program will end in August due to lack of funding. Since its launch in September 2023, the program has provided more than 1.4 million free COVID-19 vaccines at a cost of more than $1 billion.
The Bridge Access Program was supposed to be temporary, and was originally scheduled to end in December 2024.
COVID-19 vaccines first became available on the commercial market last fall after the federal government halted vaccine distribution once the public health emergency ended.
Although most private insurance companies cover vaccinations for free, there are 25 million to 30 million adults without health insurance, and some adults whose insurance will not cover the full cost of a COVID-19 vaccine. There is. The Bridge Program allows the CDC to purchase vaccines from manufacturers and distribute them to state and local health departments and pharmacies, making vaccines available to the uninsured.
The fiscal year 2024 government funding bill cancels $4.3 billion in unobligated COVID-19 funding, and a CDC spokesperson said the CDC is using some of it to administer the bridge program. he suggested.
“With Congress rescinding COVID-19 funds in the Fiscal Year 2024 Supplemental Consolidated Appropriations Act, we have had to make difficult decisions about the future of CDC activities supported by these funds,” said David Daigle. told The Hill via email.
As a potential alternative, the CDC is proposing an adult vaccine proposal that was included in President Biden’s fiscal year 2025 budget request. If passed, it would make recommended vaccines available to uninsured adults for free, similar to the successful childhood vaccine program. The White House has requested $25 billion over 10 years for the funding.
But even if the program were included, the spending process would not be completed by the fall vaccine rollout.
Through August, you can find free COVID-19 Bridge vaccines at www.vaccines.gov.
“A small amount of free vaccine may be available through the Department of Health’s immunization program after August, but supplies will be very limited. Whether manufacturers will have patient assistance programs in place depends We don’t know yet,” Daigle said.
The Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to meet in early June to discuss which new coronavirus variants the fall vaccines will target.
However, vaccination rates remain low. According to the federal government’s latest estimates in early May, only 22.5% of adults reported receiving the 2023-24 coronavirus vaccine since the rollout began in mid-September 2023.
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