By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday announced its plan to ensure all seniors have access to the COVID-19 vaccine once the vaccines are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
"I spoke with the Vice President this past weekend," said Congressman Roger Marshall. "He remains optimistic that we're going to have a vaccine available for the vulnerable, maybe by Thanksgiving time."
This announcement builds on previous frameworks to provide the vaccine to those in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, ensuring that millions of older Americans are protected.
"Medicare or Medicaid is going to cover the cost of the COVID vaccine 100%," said Marshall. "No out of pocket expenses."
Beyond Medicare, the interim rule also addresses vaccination coverage for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries. CMS has also taken action to ensure that most private health plans cover the vaccine with no cost share for both in and out-of-network providers.
"Looking at one of them right now, we hear that maybe its about three weeks from being finalized if everything goes perfect," Marshall said. "It will be a little bit of a miracle, a little bit of a moonshot, but that's what Americans do. It's going to be safe and effective as well. We are not skipping any steps at all, we're making sure that this vaccine is safe. We're just doing several steps at the same time that are typically done over years."
CMS will also be providing hospitals additional Medicare payments to support and encourage the use of innovative new COVID-19 treatments and therapies in both inpatient and outpatient settings.