In late August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Bridge Access Program, which offered free COVID-19 vaccines to adults without sufficient health insurance to cover costs, was terminated due to the introduction of updated vaccines.
Individuals are still able to go through their insurance to pay for their vaccine, although adults and families without insurance will be most impacted by the end of the funding Libbie Hough, the communications manager for the Orange County Health Department, said.
“Congress ended the bridge funding a little bit earlier than they had planned, but private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid will still cover the cost for vaccines,” Hough said.
Tiffany Graham Barber, owner of Hillsborough Pharmacy and Nutrition, said the vaccine costs nearly $200 out-of-pocket without insurance, making it unaffordable for many.
The pharmacy used to host vaccine clinics in neighborhoods, she said, but now that the funding has expired, they can no longer provide these services.
“I do wish that the program had lasted longer, because we did have a good percentage of people use it last year,” Barber said.
Hough said the Orange County Health Department has made free COVID-19 test kits available at their clinics in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, as well as at local libraries.
Erica Pettigrew, a UNC Health family medicine and primary doctor, said in the last two months, UNC Health has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases as a result of a late summer spike. While vaccines may not completely prevent COVID-19, they greatly reduce the severity of the infection and significantly lower the chances of hospitalization or death, she said.
“If people get vaccinated, then that might be able to curb a huge spike,” she said, “which would also be helpful for our hospitals, because we are seeing a lot of COVID patients admitted to the hospital, and that puts a big strain on our healthcare system.”
