CHOICES: Stay Informed about Health Insurance
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced Medicare will cover booster doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine without any cost-sharing or co-pay. Medicare beneficiaries who are 65 and older or at high risk can get the shot six months after they received their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The agencies expect decisions about boosters for people who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines to be made soon.
This coverage policy comes at a critical time. As the Centers for Disease Control explained, “[w]ith the Delta variant’s dominance as the circulating strain and cases of COVID-19 increasing significantly across the United States, a booster shot will help strengthen protection against severe disease” for those who are vulnerable to exposure or serious illness.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, older adults have been among the hardest-hit populations experiencing higher rates of hospitalization and death than other age groups. COVID-19 related deaths among older adults are on the rise amid the Delta surge.
One reason for this could be lagging vaccinations. Recent CDC data show vaccines remain effective at preventing hospitalizations and death. States with the lowest vaccination rates had the highest death rates, at nearly two times the national average. Conversely, states with the highest vaccination rates experienced relatively low death rates.
Many older adults were among the first vaccinated and now are among the first to experience decreasing vaccine effectiveness over time—which the booster shots could help address.
