Bridge Access Program Overview

Wisconsin Department of Health Services sent this bulletin at 09/05/2023 02:35 PM CDT
Wisconsin Department of Health Services

DPH Vaccines for Adults

Bridge Access Program Overview

This message is being sent to the following lists: Local Public Health Officers, Tribal Health Directors, and Vaccines for Adults. Key DPH staff are also included. 

Background 

Over the last two years nearly 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were given to 270 million Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated longstanding barriers to adult vaccination, including accessibility, availability, and confidence. It also demonstrated the importance of a strong adult vaccination program, including funding and support for adult vaccine purchase and an adult-specific vaccine infrastructure. 

The CDC proposed the Vaccines for Adults (VFA) program in the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years to build upon the investments made during the COVID-19 pandemic and to close the gap in providing vaccines at no cost to all Americans. COVID-19 vaccines and treatments will likely transition to the commercial marketplace in fall 2023 where most Americans will continue to pay nothing out-of-pocket for the COVID-19 vaccine due to their insurance coverage. However, 25 million uninsured adults will lose access to affordable vaccines and treatments. 

In April 2023, Health and Human Services announced the Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatment – a public-private partnership as a temporary measure to prevent the loss of under- and uninsured adults’ access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at no-cost after commercialization. The Bridge Program is temporary, beginning in the fall of 2023 and scheduled to end December 31, 2024. 

Program overview 

This program ensures broad access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments for under- and uninsured adults once these products are commercialized. The Bridge Access Program will support only COVID-19 vaccinations for the under- and uninsured and will not provide access to other vaccines routinely recommended for adults. 

In Wisconsin, the first component of the program will be implemented through existing public health infrastructure, specifically VFA providers, including local and Tribal health departments, and federally qualified health centers to ensure access to vaccines for underinsured and uninsured adults in their communities. 

  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will also support delivery of vaccines and treatments directly to their health centers. 
  • CDC will use its authority under Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act to purchase and distribute COVID-19 vaccines and allocate operational funds to awardees. 
  • The second component of the program will be implemented through retail pharmacies. 

There will be contracts with pharmacy chains to provide COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at no cost for underinsured and uninsured adults. The pharmacy component will rely on donated vaccines from manufacturers, with administration costs to be covered by the federal government. Pharmacies included in the program will be among those that have previously participated in federal partnerships during the public health emergency and have the infrastructure in place to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Participating pharmacies will be eligible for additional incentive payments to establish sites in areas with low rates of access or vaccination. 

This email contains information summarized from the Bridge Program Fact Sheet released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on April 18, 2023. 

DHS Webinars

A recording of the DHS Bridge Access Program webinar held Monday, August 28 is available on the COVID-19 Vaccine Planning and Updates video page.

The next DHS Bridge Access Program webinar will be held Tuesday, September 19 from 1–2 p.m. You can join the meeting via Zoom.