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Federal Rules Protect People from Bills for the COVID-19 Vaccine As
the first doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine are delivered to health care
workers and other early recipients, many Americans are eager to know not only
when the vaccine will be available to them but also whether they will be able
to get it at no cost. The
answer is that providers are not allowed to charge patients who get the
vaccine, at least during the public health emergency, KFF experts write in a new issue brief. But it will be important to drive
home that message to the public since some patients have been left with
unexpected bills for COVID testing and treatment in spite of federal rules
and programs, as well as voluntary efforts by insurers, designed to cover
such costs. Through
Operation Warp Speed, the federal government has purchased hundreds of
millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines that are being distributed to
providers at no cost. In turn, providers must agree to not charge for the
vaccine itself. While providers can charge for the cost of administering the
vaccine, private insurance and public programs will cover 100 percent of that
cost during the public health emergency. People
who are uninsured also will not be charged for the vaccine. Providers who
wish to be reimbursed for administering the vaccine must bill the federal
government and cannot bill uninsured individuals. It will be important for
the federal government to develop plans to strictly enforce these requirements
to ensure that the public receives the vaccine for free as intended. In
the issue brief, KFF experts highlight the laws and regulations that are in
place to ensure access to free COVID-19 vaccines for individuals regardless
of their insurance status and explain how vaccine administration costs will
be covered in private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, and for the
uninsured. There
will be many challenges convincing people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Fear
over unexpected costs need not be one of them. Filling
the need for trusted information on national health issues, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)
is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. |
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Friday, December 18, 2020
Federal Rules Protect People from Bills for the COVID-19 Vaccine
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