ACCP Joins 28 State & National Pharmacy Organizations Urging Congress to Fully Fund the COVID-19 Uninsured Program
March 31, 2022
ACCP and 28 other state and national pharmacy organizations came together to request that the U.S. Congress immediately act to fully fund the Health Resource & Services Administration’s (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program and provide clarification that any currently unpaid claims will receive priority for reimbursement.
This action came in response to a March 16, 2022 HRSA notice to pharmacists and other health care practitioners that the COVID-19 Uninsured Program will no longer accept claims for COVID-19 testing and treatment due to a lack of sufficient funds.
Without this critical funding, pharmacists across the country may struggle to provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations and services to one of our nation’s most vulnerable patient populations, the uninsured.
Our letter urges Congress to immediately pass legislation to fully fund the COVID-19 Uninsured Program and the COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Funds to ensure pharmacists and other members of the health care team can continue to provide COVID-19 testing, treatments, and vaccinations necessary in the fight to prevent future variants and ultimately defeat COVID-19.
We also request that federal funding should include instructions permitting health care practitioners to continue to file claims for uninsured individuals to HRSA’s Uninsured Program for provision of COVID-19 services and processes for HRSA to backpay these claims as soon as additional funding becomes available.
ACCP is proud of the profession’s commitment to provide care throughout the COVID pandemic. Pharmacists have delivered the majority of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as many COVID-19 tests and treatments.
Now is not the time to cut off equitable access to necessary COVID-19 services for vulnerable uninsured populations who lack access to private health insurance.
A draft copy of the joint-pharmacy letter is available here.
For more information, contact ACCP’s Director of Government Affairs at [email protected].