AVAC members strongly believe that adults should be able to receive recommended vaccines at no cost, no matter what type of insurance they have or if they have insurance at all.
All individuals under 65 with commercial health insurance have access to ACIP-recommended vaccines at no cost. Since 2023, adults with Medicare Part D plans and adults with Medicaid coverage no longer have to face a complicated and costly landscape.
When Americans must pay for vaccines, studies have shown that they are less likely to be vaccinated. This does not just harm the individual but is harmful at the community level.
Since AVAC launched in September 2015, our members have advocated for improved access to vaccines and the elimination of out-of-pocket payments costs through two AVAC supported bills, the Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act and the Helping Adults Protect Immunity Act.
With recommended vaccines now free of cost, it will greatly improve access and utilization. It will also make vaccine coverage consistent with private insurance plans that cover recommended vaccines for children, adolescents, and adults with no cost sharing.
Medicare
Starting January 1, 2023, adult vaccines recommended by the ACIP are now available to people with Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D) at no cost.
Part D Vaccines include Shingles, Tetanus-Diphtheria-Whooping Cough, and future vaccines.
A new report finds that 3.4 million people with Medicare would have saved an average of nearly $70 per person in 2021 had the Inflation Reduction Act already been in effect. That’s over $230 million in savings on recommended vaccines, like the shingles and tetanus vaccines.
We expect that in 2023 and beyond, even more people with Medicare will benefit from this provision, and vaccine uptake will be higher because the lower out-of-pocket costs will encourage folks to get these important vaccines.
Ambassador Susan Rice
Medicaid
Starting October 1, 2023, all state Medicaid programs are required to cover recommended vaccines for adults with no cost sharing.
Uninsured Adults
The President’s FY2024 budget included such a proposal focused on the long-neglected needs of the uninsured adult population. AVAC members strongly believe that Americans should be able to receive recommended vaccines at no cost, no matter what type of insurance they have or if they have insurance at all.
AVAC supports the creation of a Vaccines for Uninsured Adults Program, which would provide uninsured adults with access to all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at no cost. This new program would create a life course approach to immunization and ensure that everyone who wishes to receive a vaccine can have access to recommended vaccines.
