$8.5 billion coronavirus relief bill should include full vaccine coverage for seniors: Schumer

While working to hammer out a bipartisan, multi-billion deal to fund the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak, Senator Charles Schumer said the legislation must include guaranteed Medicare coverage of the vaccine, once it’s ready.

New York’s senior senator and Senate minority leader said Sunday the spending deal must allow full coverage of a coronavirus vaccine under Medicare for seniors, who are considered most susceptible to the flu-like illness.

Negotiations continue on the spending plan, for which Schumer is calling for at least $8.5 billion in federal funding toward various programs aimed at stopping the virus’ spread in the U.S. and beyond.

Schumer’s plan seeks:

$1.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help respond to outbreaks in the U.S. and elsewhere across the globe;

$3 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;

$2 billion to reimburse state and local governments for outbreak response;

$1 billion for the USAID Emerging Health Threats to respond to coronavirus across the globe; and

$1 billion to the National Institute of Health toward the development of a coronavirus vaccine.

Last week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar testified that the government would likely need to work with the private sector toward developing the vaccine. However, he dismissed the idea of public control of pricing for the vaccine once it’s ready — though he stressed the government would “work to make it affordable.”

Schumer said on Sunday that “all vaccines should be fully covered by Medicare because they save overall health system money.”

“The Novel Coronavirus shows us how critical it is to make vaccines available to the most susceptible groups, and in the case of the coronavirus, that appears to be seniors,” Schumer said. “As the race for a safe, effective and affordable vaccine nears the finish line, it is crucial to put the plans in place that guarantee seniors will be able to get it and afford it.”

As of Feb. 27, there were 82,400 coronavirus cases across the world, with 2,804 deaths — the vast majority of which occurred in China, where the outbreak originated. The U.S. had 60 confirmed coronavirus cases, with one death in Washington State.