What the end of the CDC's COVID Vaccine Access Program means for uninsured Americans

Updated COVID-19 vaccines will soon be made available ahead of the fall and winter seasons, but some Americans won't be able to easily access them.

In previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had a Bridge Access Program, a public-private partnership that provided free COVID-19 vaccines to adults without health insurance and adults whose insurance did not cover all the costs of a COVID-19 vaccine.

However, that program is ending this month as a result of cuts in federal funding.

Americans covered under Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance will still get the updated vaccine at no cost. The 25 to 30 million adults who don't have insurance will have to pay out of pocket to get the vaccine.

“The timing is really unfortunate, because we don't have the 2024-25 versions of the COVID vaccines generally available yet, so the bridge program will end before they're available to uninsured individuals,” Dr. Nathaniel Huppert, associate professor of population health sciences and medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, told ABC News.

The C.D.C. has allocated $62 million in unspent vaccine contract funds for state and local programs to purchase COVID vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults to help broaden access, but details are still scant.

“Yes, there's $62 million in unspent funds, but state and local health departments have been short on funds since the pandemic began,” Dr. Rebecca Weintraub, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of Better Evidence at Ariadne Labs, told ABC News. “They don't have the cash reserves to start paying upfront for such an expensive vaccine.”

Dr. Raynard Washington, public health director for Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, said procuring enough up-to-date COVID vaccines will be a challenge.

Mecklenburg County has nearly 100,000 residents ages 19 to 64 who don’t have insurance. Washington said there aren’t enough local resources to purchase an adequate supply of vaccines for all of these adults.

“If even 10% of these adults want or need to get vaccinated, it will still cost several hundred thousand dollars, which we simply won't be able to afford,” he told ABC News.

Washington said there are still some COVID funds available that will help cover administrative costs. However, the county cannot cover all the costs, he explained.

“We are planning to buy a limited supply, but it won't be enough,” Washington said.

Last year, Pfizer and Moderna indicated that the commercial price of their vaccines would be between $110 and $130 per dose. This year, prices could be the same or even higher.

Experts say current prices are a huge financial burden for many Americans and unaffordable for many uninsured adults.

“People are going to have to make a choice about whether they’re going to afford health care or other basic necessities,” Washington said.

For children whose parents or guardians cannot afford to vaccinate them, there is the federally funded Immunization Program for Children, which provides vaccines for free.

Experts told ABC News that there is a need to establish a vaccine program for adults, similar to the federal program available for children. They also recommended a pharmacy discount program to help save on the cost of vaccines for low-income or uninsured residents.

He said although the lack of free vaccines would be a barrier, vaccines remain one of the most effective tools when it comes to preventing serious illness or hospitalisation from Covid.

“This is still the best tool we have to keep people safe, healthy and alive,” Washington said. “I would definitely encourage people — especially those adults, children and residents who are more medically vulnerable or have underlying health issues — to make sure they consider getting vaccinated when the vaccines are available, hopefully in the next couple of days.”