Some Americans might have to pay out of pocket for therapeutics if Congress doesn’t pass a new Covid funding bill
ByThe Biden administration is debating how to wind down the federal subsidies that guarantee free treatments for coronavirus patients, as it prepares for a scenario where Congress fails to authorize new funding for the pandemic response.shifting them onto the private market and potentially forcing some Americans to pay out of pocket for pricey treatments like monoclonal antibody drugs that can cost as much as $2,000 per dose.
The funding standoff has also dampened what the White House hoped would be a triumphant period for President Joe Biden on Covid, as cases fell and the administration laid out plans for a new, less disruptive phase of the pandemic. Instead, Biden is confronting a situation that could leave the federal government without the money to execute those plans — or respond to another surge.
Behind the scenes, health officials are scrambling to plan for additional disruptions — including the possibility they’ll need to shift certain treatments to the commercial market within months, meaning patients would need to go through private insurance or pay out of pocket. But work accelerated after Congress abandoned its Covid funding plan, with officials trying to solve a series of logistical and regulatory challenges.
“With a reduced government role, we could see growing inequities,” said Larry Levitt, the executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “For uninsured people, in addition to the health risks for Covid, there would be big financial risks as well.” The Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are fully approved for certain age groups and could be transitioned to the commercial market. But administration officials are wary of the political and practical consequences of such a move, the people with knowledge said.
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