Moderna is one of the companies leading the race for a safe and effective covid-19 vaccine.
- A.M. Costa Rica wire services illustrative photo-


























Published Wednesday, August 19, 2020

The possible cost of covid-19 vaccine

By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services

Dozens of potential covid-19 vaccines are currently in different testing phases. With five candidate covid-19 vaccines, trusted source in late-stage clinical trials and initial results expected later this year or early next year, clues about the price of a potential vaccine have started to emerge.

According to a Health Line Journal report, Moderna is one of the companies leading the race for a safe and effective covid-19 vaccine. The company has made deals with other countries to sell the vaccine for $32 to $37 per dose.

These prices are for smaller volume orders, so the cost might be lower in the United States, Health Line said in its report.

"Some experts are concerned that there would be any cost to U.S. citizens taxpayers, since the U.S. government has already given Moderna millions of dollars to support its preclinical and clinical trials of the vaccine," the health magazine said in its statement.

Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., professor of bioethics at NYU Langone Health in New York City, thinks this may discourage some people from getting the vaccine. “Some companies have said, ‘We’re going to try and make this available as cheaply as we can at cost.’ But others have said, ‘No, we’re going to make a profit,’” he said.

“If the vaccine is seen as a money making opportunity for the vaccine manufacturer, it fuels distrust among the public,” Caplan said.

Other pharmaceutical companies that are part of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine initiative, are expected to charge between $4 and $20 per dose, reports  National Public Radio (NPR).

These prices are based on purchase agreements that the companies have negotiated with the federal government, according to Health Journal. The cost for a vaccine depends on how many doses would be needed. Both Pfizer and Moderna are testing a two-dose regimen.

Compare these prices to the seasonal flu vaccine, which costs up to $67 per dose, according to GoodRx, a website that tracks prescription drug prices.

"Although pharmaceutical companies plan on recovering some or all of their vaccine development costs, millions of U.S. citizens with health insurance will be able to get the covid-19 vaccine at no additional cost," the report said.

This is due to the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress in March. This would make a covid-19 vaccine a “preventive health service,” meaning health plans must cover the entire cost.

“As a result of the CARES Act, if you have private health insurance in this country, you will not have to worry about any out-of-pocket costs when it comes to covid-19 vaccines,” said A. Mark Fendrick, M.D., Director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID) in Ann Arbor.

This is a good thing, he adds, because more than two-thirds of adult U.S. citizens are already concerned about out-of-pocket costs for covid-19 treatment, according to the Commonwealth Fund.

If it’s covered by their health insurance, they don’t have to worry about unexpected copays or additional costs when getting the vaccine.

A covid-19 vaccine would have to be recommended by the U.S. Preventive Health Services Taskforce and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) before it would be covered at no cost.

Once that happens, health plans would have 15 days to start covering it, down from the usual 1 year for these kinds of preventive services.

“Not only is it remarkable that the CARES Act says that a covid-19 vaccine will be free, but it also says the health plans have to make it free within 15 days,” Fendrick said.

The vaccine isn’t exactly free in this case, because individuals and employers pay healthcare premiums. The vaccine would just not be an additional cost to U.S. citizens with appropriate coverage, the report said.

According to the Health Line Journal report, the CARES Act only applies to an individual and employer-sponsored health plans regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

"So, if you purchased a short-term health plan, the kind that the Trump administration has pushed for, there’s no guarantee that insurance would cover the vaccine," the report said.

Also left out are Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Vaccines for Children program. The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act passed by the House of Representatives in May was written to extend vaccine coverage to these three groups. That bill is now hung up in the Senate.




--------------------------
Should governments provide the covid-19 as free for all its citizens?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com
..
hotelrestaurant103017.jpg