CMS Releases Updated Toolkit on Coverage and Reimbursement of COVID-19 Vaccines

On February 11, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated the toolkit focused on providing guidance to “state and territorial policymakers [to] identify the issues that need to be considered and addressed in order to provide coverage and reimbursement for vaccine administration” for beneficiaries of the Medicaid program, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and enrollees in the Basic Health Program (BHP).

In particular, the toolkit’s updated information covers vaccine distribution for children in response to the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the FDA and the recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that children aged five and older receive the Pfizer vaccine. The toolkit also encourages states to coordinate with state and local health care professional organizations, faith groups, community groups, schools, and tribal organizations to provide updated information and recommendations about COVID-19 vaccines to beneficiaries.