The White House has made it a priority to ensure vulnerable people have access to needed vaccines, a government health official said.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said many of the country’s most vulnerable people are the elderly and those with Medicare disabilities. Patients are often unaware that they need a specific vaccine or cannot afford it due to limited Medicare coverage.
Brooks-LaSure requires all adult vaccines covered by Medicare Part D, like the shingles vaccine, to be covered free of charge when recommended by an advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advertised the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act.
“One thing that seniors are really excited about is access to the shingles vaccine. was sponsored by
The provision went into effect earlier this year, and Brooks-LaSure said the government is working to disseminate information.
Adult and child vaccination coverage plummeted during the pandemic and has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. That’s partly due to bitter partisan strife over mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and mistrust of public health officials, experts say.
Brooks-LaSure said that when people have questions about access to vaccines, it’s important to talk to trusted partners such as faith-based groups, clinicians and barbers.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup, Ohio Republican, who is a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the new chairman of the House Special Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, wants to make it easier for doctors to have conversations with their patients. I said I want to
“We need a discussion about all vaccines with patients. “There is a lot of distrust out there. …We really need accurate data at the disposal of doctors.”
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