Biden administration unveils plan to ensure free COVID vaccines, treatment for uninsured

The Biden administration has announced the launch of a new program aimed at giving uninsured individuals access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as the end of the national public health emergency nears and the financial obligations of covering these medicines shift to the private sector.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the "HHS Bridge Access Program For COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Program" on Wednesday, describing it as a "$1.1 billion public-private partnership" to maintaining coronavirus treatments for those without health care coverage.

The national public health emergency declaration for the pandemic is scheduled to end on May 11. As the U.S. transitions out of the pandemic era of SARS-CoV-2, private health insurance companies are expected to take on the cost of vaccines.

HHS acknowledged this incoming transition and laid out two parts of its uninsured vaccination program.

First, the department will make use of pre-existing safety net programs implemented by local health departments and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Under this plan, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will purchase COVID-19 vaccines at a discount and distribute them through state and local health departments.

Secondly, HHS said it plans to establish contracts with pharmacies that will allow them to continue to provide coronavirus treatments such as Paxlovid free-of-charge to the uninsured. The federal program will provide pharmacies with per-dose payments for both vaccines and treatments.

"In return for alleviating manufacturers of this administrative burden and the expense of working directly with pharmacies, HHS expects that manufacturers ensure vaccines will be made readily available directly to pharmacies that participate in this effort and that manufacturers’ patient assistance programs will provide appropriate reimbursement or replacement for COVID-19 vaccines," HHS said.

Pfizer's and Moderna's COVID vaccines are expected to as much as quadruple in price this year. Both companies have stated that consumers will not be impacted by the cost jumps, regardless of insurance status.

The drugmakers have said they plan to provide vaccines to uninsured consumers through their respective patient assistance programs. During a recent hearing held by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, lawmakers pressed Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel to make sure that the process for uninsured to obtain vaccine was not complicated to the point of being prohibitive.