Medicare is announcinga significant increase in what it will pay to vaccinate homebound older people against the coronavirus as, part of the Biden administration’s “last mile” effort to get shots in the arms of as many Americans as possible.
Officials said Wednesday the program will pay roughly $35 more per dose when enrollees are vaccinated at home. For a two-shot regimen that means Medicare will pay $150, or about $70 more than currently.
Medicare estimates 1.6 million people 65 and older may have trouble getting to pharmacies or vaccination centers because of obstacles to leaving home. These can include physical impairments as well as neurologic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Local health departments in many communities have already launched efforts to locate and vaccinate homebound older people, who remain at risk because visitors may unwittingly bring the virus into their homes.