The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has finally signed off on recommendations for this season's COVID-19 vaccines—and, with that, access to the shots will, in the end, look a lot like the access people had last year.
Here’s what to know
You still have access and coverage: For this year, anyone age 6 months and older will still have access to the shots, and the shots should be fully covered under private insurance plans and federal programs—including Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Vaccines for Children Program, and insurance plans regulated by the Affordable Care Act.
In fact, for private insurance plans, AHIP—the trade organization that represents major insurers—had already stated that regardless of how this year's messy federal recommendations ended up, private insurance plans would maintain their previous coverage with no cost sharing.
You can go to your pharmacy like always: In past years, most Americans received their COVID-19 vaccines at a local pharmacy. This year, that will largely look the same; people will be able to go to their pharmacy, fill out some forms, and get a shot. No prescription is needed. You will not need to prove you have any underlying condition.
You've got nothing to prove: You may be surprised by this because the Food and Drug Administration changed the labels for COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year to limit access to only those over 65 and those 64 and younger with an underlying condition that puts them at higher risk of severe disease. But, the CDC's bonkers vaccine advisory committee—hand-selected by health secretary and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—did not actually designate health conditions as a requirement. Instead, they said that vaccine access should be based on shared clinical decision-making, leaving it up to individuals and their health care providers to discuss. And by health care providers, that means not just doctors, but nurses and pharmacists.
While people have interpreted "shared clinical decision-making" as a new restriction—and it technically is—in reality, it doesn't amount to much, especially for adults. Again, most people get their COVID-19 shots from pharmacists, and pharmacists have always been responsible for making sure they're providing appropriate care. And they have little reason to deny anyone a COVID-19 vaccine.