What happens if the US runs out of COVID funds?

The United States is running out of COVID-19 cash. Funding for free COVID-19 tests, free vaccines regardless of insurance status and shipments of treatments for those most at risk of serious illness are at stake after Congress failed to get together. agree on a budget that includes funds for pandemic preparedness. Without more funding, according to the White House, there will be big consequences.

Monoclonal Antibody Treatments will run out as of May, and the government will no longer be able to order doses of Paxlovid, a highly effective COVID-19 treatment against omicron. The US Department of Health and Human Services has already announced that its program for uninsured Americans has expired, meaning providers are no longer able to submit claims for patients without private, Medicare or Medicaid insurance for cover COVID-19 testing and treatment.

By April 5, the uninsured program will also stop accepting claims for COVID-19 vaccines, despite the country’s promise that anyone – regardless of insurance or immigration status – can get a free COVID-19 vaccine or a booster shot without worrying about hidden costs. .

“We have the tools that work, and we know that if you have to pay to use those tools, that’s a barrier,” Amber D’Souza, professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said Thursday during a briefing. a COVID-19. press briefing. “When I walk into the grocery store and someone sneezes or coughs in the aisle next to me, I don’t want to worry that they don’t have the $10 to spend on an extra test” , she said.

Despite the broad easing of public restrictions related to COVID-19, the pandemic is not over. Experts are currently observing a new type of “stealth omicron” (BA.2), which does not appear to cause more disease severity than the original. But given its increased contagiousness, it’s causing an uptick in cases in some areas, including New York. Fortunately, rates of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths in the United States continue to decline, as does the average number of weekly COVID-19-related deaths worldwide.

The White House continues to push for more funding. Republicans initially pushed back on a pandemic relief package, leading to bipartisan efforts to come up with a new plan. After failing to agree on a pandemic relief package, lawmakers removed it from a spending bill altogether.

But without congressional action, the White House COVID-19 response team warned this week that Americans would begin to feel the effects.

Here’s how it might affect COVID-19 health care for you.

If I need a fourth shot or an extra booster, will it still be free?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a meeting on April 6 for its independent advisers to discuss the need for future COVID-19 boosters and the possibility of a new vaccine targeting future variants. This week the The FDA has authorized a second recall for adults aged 50 and over as well as certain immunocompromised people.

At a press conference last week, Zients said there was enough government vaccine supply for eligible immunocompromised people to receive a fourth vaccine, and also enough to guarantee a fourth dose for other populations. vulnerable, including the elderly.

However, if public health agencies call for a fourth dose for all adults, or even “if things change and there’s a need for a new vaccine,” he says, the U.S. government won’t be able to. to meet the need.

Can I still get a COVID shot or booster if I don’t have health insurance?

The Uninsured Americans Program will stop accepting claims from health care providers on April 5 for people without health insurance when they get vaccinated. Presumably, you should have that long to get a shot without any problems.

If you need a first shot, second dose or are waiting for your booster, you can always find a vaccination site and see what shots are available near you by texting your postcode to 438829 or by visiting vaccines.gov.

After April 5, things are currently a little less clear. While COVID-19 vaccines themselves may still be free, people without health insurance may be responsible for the cost of administering them, according to an NPR report.

If Congress does not decide on a new COVID funding budget, the impact may vary by state and how it chooses to use its own funding.

Will we still have free vaccines for children?

Zients also said that when a COVID-19 vaccine is available for children under 5 years oldthe United States will have the supply to vaccinate this age group.

What about COVID testing and treatment if I don’t have insurance?

The same government program, citing “lack of sufficient funds”, stopped accepting claims from uninsured Americans for COVID testing and treatment on March 22. This means health care providers will either be forced “to absorb the costs or turn away the uninsured,” the White House said.

If you don’t have Medicaid, Medicare, or private health insurance and need COVID-19 testing or treatment right now, call wherever you go for testing or treatment to see how, or if, it will affect you.

Quest Diagnostics, a major testing provider, can now charge $125 for a PCR test without insurance, ABC News reported. Prices for other testing services can vary, and ABC said companies such as Walgreens are waiting for more guidance from the White House.

The Resource and Health Services Administrations also highlighted other resources for uninsured Americans, including enrolling in Medicaid (which can take a long time to process and likely won’t work as an immediate solution) and the free home delivery. COVID-19 testing program.

What else will happen if the funds run out?

In addition to affecting future supplies of monoclonal antibodies and pill treatments for COVID-19, the supply of AstraZeneca’s preventive medicine for immunocompromised people may also decline, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said during a White House COVID-19 briefing. The White House says it also needs more money to fund research into pan-coronavirus vaccineswhich have the potential to be more effective in targeting future variants.

Other countries may also be affected by a lack of U.S. COVID-19 funding. Without more funding, Zients said, the United States will not be able to turn the vaccines it has donated (1.2 billion doses) into vaccines through partnerships and programs, including USAID. . According to Our World in Data, only 14.5% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Anna Durbin, a professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, suggested at a press conference this week that concern over the lack of funding extends beyond the current surge. of COVID-19 and future pandemics of different viruses. Will we be prepared?

“We’ve had previous examples where we were concerned about pandemics – whether it was of another H1N1, of another bird flu virusSARS-CoV-1,” she said. “And we realize that we haven’t invested the money in prevention that we could have at the time.”

When COVID-19 arrived, the United States was unprepared, she said.

“Now is the time to really cement that funding and think about the future and about prevention,” Durbin said. “Not just COVID, but future pandemics that are sure to come.”

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical or health advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.