To help ensure that millions of uninsured and underinsured American adults continue to have access to no-cost COVID-19 vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is launching the Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines this fall.
There are an estimated 25-30 million adults without insurance in the U.S., and additional adults whose insurance will not provide free coverage for COVID-19 vaccines after these products transition to the commercial market for procurement, distribution, and pricing, later this fall.
The pandemic underscored longstanding barriers to adult vaccination, including lack of accessibility, lack of availability, and lack of confidence. Under the management and oversight of CDC, the Bridge Access Program will allow adults who are uninsured or underinsured to receive free COVID-19 vaccinations. The Bridge Access Program serves as a “temporary bridge” and is scheduled to end in December 2024. Additional information is available here.
The ATS is one of seven specialty societies to be awarded a grant from the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) and CDC to increase COVID-19, influenza, and routine vaccination rates among high-risk adult patients nationally. Specifically, the ATS will focus on high-risk adult patients with respiratory conditions.
“The ATS is excited to participate in this quality improvement initiative to study different strategies that our eight ATS health system partners are testing to improve vaccine uptake in high-risk adults with chronic respiratory disease,” says Amy Farrell Stern, ATS Senior Director, Vaccine Initiatives, Documents and Patient Education. “Access to appropriate vaccines is a key component of the complex interventions and variables that ultimately lead to successful immunization programs. We are excited to learn best practices and to share these learnings with the ATS community and beyond.”