Biden Admin Announces Program to Maintain Free COVID-19 Vaccine, Treatments for Uninsured

A nurse receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Orange, Calif., on Dec. 16, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a new program to assist the uninsured in accessing COVID-19 care, such as vaccines and anti-viral medications.

According to the agency’s April 18 press release, the HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments was set up to promote access to COVID-19-specific care as the responsibility for vaccine and other medication distribution transitions from governmental to the private sector.

Under the program, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will purchase and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, which will be allocated through the CDC’s network of state and local health department immunization awardees nationwide.

These awardees will then distribute vaccines to local health departments (LHDs) and participating Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-supported health centers.

The HHS will also create a novel, funded partnership with pharmacy chains to enable them to offer free COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments to the uninsured through their network or retail locations.

The program has been designed to ensure Americans have continued, easy access to COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments.

Syringes and vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be administered at a drive-up vaccination site from Renown Health in Reno, Nev., on Dec. 17, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Participating pharmacies will be expected to ensure appropriate oversight, including patient attestations regarding lack of insurance coverage, and by providing the CDC with periodic facility-level data.

Pharmacies will also be eligible for one-time base payments for each site targeting areas with low rates of access and low rates of vaccination.

Under the agreements, uninsured individuals will have access to specific COVID-19 treatments, including Paxlovid and Lagevrio, from participating pharmacies with no out-of-pocket costs.

The goal is to include not only large pharmacy chains but also smaller, local chains and independently owned pharmacies.

The program aims to ensure a smooth transition for the provision of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments from the purchase and distribution by the U.S. government to traditional healthcare pathways.

Over the last two years, the Administration has implemented the largest adult vaccination program in U.S. history, with nearly 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines given to 270 million Americans.

Vaccine Effectiveness

The Biden administration’s attention to ensuring COVID-19 vaccine access juxtaposes with recent data showing that newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines provide little protection against severe illness.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, adults aged 18 to 65 without an immune-compromising condition, a bivalent vaccination initially increased hospitalization protection from 21 percent to 68 percent. Sixty to 119 days later, this protection decreased to just 27 percent.

According to the data, immunocompromised adults 18 or older saw even worse protection, with the protection never going above 43 percent.