Medicare and Medicaid will cover the out-of-pocket cost of receiving a vaccine for the coronavirus once one is available, President Donald Trump's administration will announce this week, according to Politico.
On Tuesday or Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will announce the new rule that covers vaccines that the Food and Drug Administration authorizes for emergency use. At least two vaccine developers working on a COVID-19 vaccine said they would apply for emergency use authorization before the year's end.
One official said that the Trump administration is "working to ensure that no American has to pay for the vaccine," and Politico’s other sources said that the government is also working to improve flexibility for Medicaid patients that need care because of the coronavirus.
"I think we've figured out a path forward," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a virtual conference earlier this month. "It was very clear that Congress wants to make sure that Medicare beneficiaries have this vaccine and that there isn't any cost-sharing."
The Trump administration previously reached an agreement with two major pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens, to administer a coronavirus vaccine to seniors and employees of long-term care facilities without any out-of-pocket cost to them.