 |
| Photo Credit: Reuters. |
The Biden administration has signaled it would handover bills for COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatment to the private sector which means insurance companies and the people would be responsible for costs.
Insurance coverage for COVID-19
The Department
of Health and Human Services will meet with drugmakers, pharmacies, and other stakeholders
in the healthcare industry later this month to map out how insurance coverage
and reimbursements would cover the costs of COVID-19-related pharmaceuticals,
according to the Wall Street Journal.
The August
30 meeting will likely address how to continue to provide access to treatments
and vaccines for the roughly 30 million uninsured people in the U.S, the Washington
Examiner reported.
Will COVID-19 test and treatment be commercialized?
COVID-19
response coordinator for the White House, Ashish Jha said the transition could
begin as soon as this fall, adding the administration has been preparing for
months.
"My
hope is that in 2023, you're going to see the commercialization of almost all
of these products. Some of that is actually going to begin this fall, in the
days and weeks ahead. You're going to see commercialization of some of these
things," Jha said Tuesday at an event sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce Foundation, according to CNN.
Once the
transition is complete, COVID-19 vaccines and treatments will be offered
through a doctor or another healthcare provider such as a hospital, according
to Washington Examiner.
The move
could result in premium hikes for people with insurance cover as well as
increases in price of vaccines and tests.