Six things to know:
1. The Biden administration is asking Congress to add funds to the pandemic response, but lawmakers have ignored those requests.
2. The administration is planning to allow COVID-19 vaccines to hit the commercial market by summer 2023, which public health experts told the Times could hurt access to those without insurance. Some may be discouraged from seeking care altogether.
3. People without insurance could face a number of added costs, according to the report. Bills for tests can be large and unpredictable. Some have seen charges of more than $3,000 for routine nasal swabs. For those who become seriously ill, a hospitalization can cost more than $1 million.
4. When the government’s supply of COVID-19 treatments runs out, providers will need to purchase them on their own, with health insurers covering costs like they do for other treatments, according to the report. Those without insurance will pay for the drugs and tests out of pocket in most instances.
5. The Biden administration has proposed a program called Vaccines for Adults that, if funded by Congress, would supply COVID-19 shots and vaccines while reimbursing providers for administration fees, according to the report.
6. Kody Kinsley, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services secretary, told the Times that COVID-19 is heading the way of diabetes and high blood pressure as federal funding dries up.
“We’re going to be back in a place that unfortunately we know really well,” he said. “We’ll have people showing up in emergency departments that could have been handled with more access to prevention.”
