Medicare Part D recipients will no longer incur out-of-pocket costs associated with all Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccines starting January 1, 2023. According to Medicare.Gov, “People with Medicare Part D drug coverage now pay nothing out-of-pocket for even more vaccines, including the shingles vaccine….” This is the result of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), “This makes coverage of vaccines under Medicare Part D consistent with coverage of vaccines under Medicare Part B, such as the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. The law also requires state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover all approved adult vaccines recommended by ACIP and vaccine administration, without cost sharing.” Medicaid and CHIP coverage of ACIP-recommended vaccines starts October 1, 2023.
The Missouri Immunization Coalition (MIC) exists to reduce the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases through immunization education, advocacy, promotion, and statewide collaborative partnerships. “Removing financial barriers helps promote vaccination access and elevates the essential role vaccinations play in reducing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Nicole Cope, MIC’s Executive Director.
According to KFF, removing financial barriers to vaccination access “…could help with vaccine uptake among older adults….” Moreover, according to KFF, “Requiring state Medicaid and CHIP programs to cover all adult vaccines recommended by ACIP without cost sharing is expected to increase access to some adult vaccines under Medicaid. Using a recent survey’s state-level data and 2019 adult Medicaid enrollment data, a separate KFF analysis estimates about 4 million adults could gain coverage of at least one or more vaccines.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACIP recommended vaccines can be found here.
