By Sam Boughedda
The U.S. Government is planning to end its program of paying for Covid-19 shots and treatments, The WSJ reported Thursday.
The Biden administration will reportedly move control of pricing and coverage to the healthcare industry. This willl, as the report states, generate sales for healthcare companies and costs for consumers for years.
Representatives from drugmakers, pharmacies, and state health departments will attend a Department of Health and Human Services planning session on August 30.
The government has always planned to eventually move the bill for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments to individuals, and with Covid-19 now seemingly no longer an issue, officials are now working on a transition. However, shifting payments to the commercial market is expected to take months to implement.
Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary at HHS for preparedness and response, told the WSJ that they've known for some point they would need to transfer over to the commercial market, and the time is now approaching.
The WSJ report added that the plans will not be straightforward as they will need to deal with the complexities of how to make shots and treatments available to people without insurance coverage.
On Tuesday, White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said the Biden administration has been preparing its process on how to move past the crisis phase of the pandemic and will quit buying vaccines, treatments, and tests as early as this fall.