Third COVID Vaccine Dose Available as Grants Try to Boost Vaccination Efforts
The CDC recommends a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines for patients with compromised immune systems following FDA approval. Meanwhile, grant funding from several government agencies aims to boost vaccination efforts.
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By - COVID-19 continues to take the spotlight as this week’s policy update highlights the CDC’s recent recommendation for a booster shot. Several government organizations, including HHS and the US Food and Agriculture Department, also announce funding to boost vaccination efforts across the country.
Colorado State Innovation Waiver Extended
HHS and the Department of the Treasury recently approved Colorado’s application to extend its State Innovation Waiver under the Affordable Care Act. The extension is for an additional five years for the state-based reinsurance program aimed at lowering premiums. Analysis has already shown Colorado’s initial section 1332 wavier surpassed its goal by showing a 20.9 percent decrease in the cost of premiums in 2020 and a 20 percent reduction in 2021. READ MORE
Vaccination Requirements at HHS, Commissioned Corps
Xavier Becerra, HHS secretary, announced the department will require its more than 25,000 members to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Staff at the Indian Health Service and National Institutes of Health who serve in federally operated healthcare and clinical research facilities will also be required to be vaccinated. The US Surgeon General followed suite, requiring members of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to be vaccinated. READ MORE
Telehealth Grants Increase Access in Rural Areas
The US Food and Agriculture Department announced $500 million in grant funding for telehealth in rural areas. The money will be distributed through Emergency Rural Health Care Grants for Recovery and Impact. The Recovery Grants are available to public and non-profit groups that support rural healthcare, including working to increase COVID-19 vaccination distribution and telehealth services. The Impact Grants are for long-term projects that help develop healthcare systems blending behavioral and primary healthcare and expand telehealth, including electronic data sharing, workforce development, and paramedicine. READ MORE
HHS Announces $20 Million for COVID-19 Vaccination in Native Hawaiian Populations
HHS, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, announced $20 million to bolster COVID-19 response in native Hawaiian populations. The funding will be divided between six Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act award recipients to increase vaccination efforts, testing, and treatment of COVID-19. READ MORE
Immunocompromised Patients Receive CDC Greenlight for Third Vaccine Dose
On Friday August 13, the CDC officially recommended a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines for patients with “severely compromised immune systems.” The recommendation came after the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) released guidelines and the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for a third dose of the vaccines. Recent data indicates patients with moderate to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same levels of immunity and these individuals are a large proportion of hospital breakthrough cases. The additional vaccine dose for some of the country’s most vulnerable aims to curb the spread of the Delta variant. READ MORE
CMS also announced Medicare beneficiaries would be able to receive the third dose at no individual cost. In a recent news alert, Medicare said it would cover the cost of administering the vaccine to ensure cost is not a barrier to vaccination. READ MORE
