STAT+: Paying for Covid pills will soon shift to insurers
The Biden administration is slowly shifting millions of Covid-19 treatments to private insurers and drugmakers, starting next week.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is slowly shifting millions of Covid-19 treatments to private insurers and drugmakers, starting next week.
The transition to commercial payers and providers will begin Nov. 1 but last through at least December as providers dole out existing stock, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra wrote in a letter issued Friday.That includes Pfizer’s Paxlovid, which the government will stop ordering on Dec 15, and Merck’s Lagevrio, which will be open for provider orders through Nov. 10.
Beginning in December, providers will be able to send back Paxlovid packs — ideally those soon to expire — for government credit towards Paxlovid in Medicare and Medicaid, which both will cover the antiviral pill regimen at no cost through 2024, senior health officials told reporters.
What's Your Reaction?
