Republicans BLOCKED A VOTE on Life-Saving Therapeutics, Vaccines, and Boosters
This week, Republicans tanked a package that would provide $10 billion in funding for vaccines, boosters, therapeutics and tests, all to score political points at the expense of the communities they serve.
Americans are already feeling the lack of COVID-19 funding. From testing centers shutting down, to the government soon being unable to send treatments to states, the need for funding is obvious. Republicans are prolonging the pandemic by refusing to approve the additional funding. Their attempts to appeal to the most extreme parts of their base leave everyone unprepared for future variants and surges, and leave us exposed to whatever COVID-19 has in store next.
Thanks to the work of the Biden administration, we have the tools we need to prevent serious illness, keep schools and businesses open, and continue our strong economic recovery – and all Americans are benefitting. But with COVID-19 cases on the rise in half of the states, it’s time for Republicans to set aside their partisan games and join with Democrats to approve additional funding.
Below are headlines from around the country on the effect of lack of funding…
CALIFORNIA: Despite rising cases, free coronavirus testing is reduced in L.A. County. “As a result, L.A. County has been forced to remove 25 community testing sites from the county’s website, ‘as those sites were no longer able to continue to commit to providing tests free of charge to individuals who lacked insurance coverage,’ said Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s Department of Health Services director. There are still 200 testing sites listed on the county’s coronavirus testing website. To be on the county’s list, the sites need to be willing to provide tests for free to everyone who arrives, regardless of insurance status.” [Los Angeles Times, 4/6/22]
ARIZONA: Arizona company reduces Covid testing, cites lack of funding. “A leading Arizona provider of Covid-19 vaccinations and testing says a lack of federal funding has forced it to drop dozens of testing sites and is no longer providing free tests to uninsured people. People without insurance will now have to pay a $100 fee for Covid-19 testing and testing has been suspended at 60 of Embry Health’s Arizona sites.” [Associated Press, 4/7/22]
FLORIDA: Only a few days are left to get a COVID vaccine for free. Many testing and treatment sites will close soon. “Residents may want to consider some immediate actions with only a few days left to get a COVID shot for free. After April 5, the uninsured will have to pay for COVID-19 vaccines out of their own pocket. ‘You have a few more days to get vaccinated or boosted at no charge so take advantage of that,’ said Mary Jo Trepka, an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at Florida International University.” [South Florida Sun Sentinel, 3/26/22]
WASHINGTON: As COVID-19 funding for people without health insurance expires, state and local health agencies seek to fill the gap. “There are an estimated 465,000 people in Washington who do not have health insurance, and lawmakers in Washington have paved the way for this to change in the coming years. During the pandemic, in Spokane and Spokane Valley alone, labs, hospitals, clinics and health care providers sought more than $7.2 million in reimbursement from HRSA for providing COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccinations to people without health insurance, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” [Spokane-Review, 4/1/22]
ILLINOIS: The feds are no longer paying for COVID-19 tests for uninsured people. Here’s what that means in Illinois. “Some Illinois providers may have to cut back on COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics for vulnerable groups as federal funding dries up — a situation that health care leaders fear could leave the state ill-prepared for another COVID-19 surge. Until now, COVID-19 tests were free to people without health insurance because a federal program reimbursed medical providers for tests given to the uninsured. But that program stopped accepting claims March 22 because Congress didn’t allocate additional money to it. That same program is slated to stop paying for COVID-19 vaccines for the uninsured on Tuesday.” [Chicago Tribune, 4/1/22]
CONNECTICUT: Loss of federal COVID-19 funding could mean end of key research projects, free tests and vaccines for uninsured in Connecticut. “Congress’s failure to include a fresh infusion of COVID-19 funding in President Joe Biden’s recent spending bill means no more federal money for research projects such as Grubaugh’s and no more free coronavirus tests, treatments and vaccines for millions of uninsured Americans. The potential loss of that critical funding comes at a time when experts say Connecticut is bracing for a spike in COVID-19 cases, driven by the BA.2 subvariant of omicron.” [Hartford Courant, 4/1/22]