New COVID-19 Vaccine Reimbursement Program Available from HHS

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), this week announced a new program to cover costs of administering COVID-19 vaccines to patients enrolled in health plans that either do not cover vaccination fees or cover them with patient cost-sharing. Since providers cannot bill patients for COVID-19 vaccination fees, this new program, the COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund (CAF), addresses an outstanding compensation need for providers on the front lines vaccinating underinsured patients.

CAF focuses on instances where individuals have insurance, but vaccines are either not covered or are but typically with patient cost-sharing. CAP will compensate providers for eligible claims at national Medicare rates to reflect newer information on the true costs associated with administering vaccines. CAF also builds on the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program which has been reimbursing providers for vaccine administration fees associated with uninsured individuals.

Additional information on CAF is available here. A press statement on the new reimbursement program is available here.