Second National Immunization Congress 2010: Addressing vaccine financing for the future in the US

Abstract

At the 2nd National Immunization Congress held in Chicago, IL, from August 31-September 2, 2010, partners from government, provider groups, academia, and manufacturers gathered to discuss the progress made and the future of financing child, adolescent, and adult vaccines. The meeting is a continuation of a solution-oriented vaccine financing dialogue held in February 2007 at the 1st Immunization Congress. The need for this forum arose from concerns that increased costs of immunization could hinder the ability of current financing and delivery systems to maintain access without financial barriers. Preventive care and additional financial coverage for vaccines are key points in federal health reform but some populations, especially adolescents and adults, could continue to experience challenges in accessing vaccines. Congress participants discussed adequate reimbursement in the public and private sectors for vaccine delivery and the potential financial resources, data, and infrastructure needed to increase vaccine uptake in the US. Participants agreed that partners from all sectors--manufacturers, providers, public health, employers, payors, insurers, and consumers--will collectively need to leverage their efforts to address financial gaps not covered by health care reform law to ensure the preventive benefits of vaccines are fully realized for all Americans.

Primary care physicians’ perspective on financial issues and adult immunization in the Era of the Affordable Care Act

“…The Infectious Diseases Society of America has suggested that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should work to assure physician billing codes adequately cover the full costs of providing immunizations 42,43 and to do this CMS may require updated information about how much it actually costs to immunize an adult. 2 …”

“…1 National stakeholders in adult immunization have voiced concerns about gaps in financing for adult vaccines 2 being one source of the problem and prior research 3,4 suggests physicians view financial barriers as key contributors to low adult immunization rates. Comparatively, the U.S. pediatric vaccination program has been much more successful 5 and benefits from the financial infrastructure of the Vaccines for Children program (VFC).…”

“…However, the law does not address payment to providers for vaccine purchase and administration. 2 The ACA temporarily increased Medicaid reimbursement for vaccine administration to Medicare level ($21) 11 which may have decreased physicians’ financial barriers to providing vaccines to Medicaid patients. However, the ACA did not mandate State Medicaid agencies do so and several State Medicaid agencies do not cover all ACIP recommended adult vaccines.…”

Implementation of a Pharmacy-Based Adult Vaccine Benefit: Recommendations for a Commercial Health Plan Benefit

“…11 In 2010, the Second National Immunization Congress was convened with the goal of addressing future vaccine financing for the United States, with additional focus on adult immunization infrastructure barriers and access challenges. 12 Identifying community immunizers who can supplement the role of primary care providers (PCPs) becomes pertinent given that immunization recommendations will expand over the coming years, while primary care is already reeling under present service demands and cost containment. 13 Currently, more than 170,000 pharmacists in the United States have been trained to provide immunizations, primarily through the nationally recognized certificate training program provided by the American Pharmacist Association.…”

The National Vaccine Advisory Committee: Reducing Patient and Provider Barriers to Maternal Immunizations

“…However, increasing the demand for immunization services does not automatically translate into providers having the resources necessary to establish or expand their immunization services to meet these growing needs (e.g., personnel, equipment, and technical and/or administrative assistance). 175 In a 2011 study by Freed et al, only 27% of 849 physicians surveyed administered all ACIP-recommended vaccines for adults. Notably, only 12% of respondents indicated that they planned to increase the types of adult vaccines they offered in their practice and 79% did not expect to make any changes.…”