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Today, in honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, we’ll take a look at how Medicare Part D supports access to critical vaccines and strengthens public health. Vaccines represent some of the most impactful advances in public health, helping to prevent the spread of many infectious diseases. Here in the United States, there are currently 16 diseases that are now preventable as a result of childhood vaccines.

A recent report found that there are nearly 260 vaccines in development by America’s biopharmaceutical companies, including dozens for COVID-19 in the pipeline. Biopharmaceutical companies are exploring a wide range of approaches to COVID-19 for older adults including increasing the doses or adding a booster to the shot. Yet no matter the approach, biopharmaceutical researchers must comply with a number of regulations throughout the development process to help ensure vaccine safety.

Continued progress in the research and development of new vaccines is important news for Americans of all ages, but especially for seniors. It is important for adults and seniors to receive certain vaccinations as they age to avoid a variety of serious conditions. The immune system naturally weakens over a patient’s lifespan and vaccines can be critical to prevent illness among the elderly, who may be particularly vulnerable to infection. For example, shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster) and can occur in adults who had chickenpox as children. It is thought that lowered immunity to infections as people grow older may be the cause.

Ensuring greater uptake of and access to vaccines will improve public health and reduce broader health care costs over time. Increasing awareness of the availability and value of vaccines, particularly among adults, can help improve vaccine rates. It is also important to provide robust insurance coverage for preventative care more broadly, including vaccines, in order to avoid vaccine-preventable diseases.

Low adult immunization rates are due to multiple barriers, including lack of information about recommended vaccines, financial hurdles, as well as technological and logistical obstacles.

For medically necessary, commercially available adult vaccines not covered under Medicare Part B, Part D covers available vaccines and, since 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has encouraged Part D plans to offer either $0 or low-cost sharing for vaccines to help increase adult immunization rates. Despite this encouragement, Part D plans continue to apply cost-sharing for vaccines that may limit access for beneficiaries. This effort to ensure vaccines are affordable and accessible to seniors is critical as illnesses attributed to vaccine-preventable diseases remains higher in adults than children.

While the biopharmaceutical works to ensure a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 is successful, patients of all ages, including older adults should consult with their health care provider about the appropriate vaccines to prevent against infectious diseases, including the annual influenza vaccine.

Learn more about the importance of vaccinations here. Learn more about how Medicare protects public health and improves access to needed vaccines and treatments, by following along with our new Catalyst series on Medicare Part D.

Tom Wilbur

Tom Wilbur is Deputy Vice President of Public Affairs at PhRMA where he leads the state public affairs team and Voters for Cures, PhRMA’s grassroots advocacy initiative. Prior to joining PhRMA in 2019, Tom served as a senior aide on Capitol Hill for U.S. Rep. Fred Upton and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Tom holds an M.A. in strategic communications from Michigan State University and a B.A. in social science and history from Central Michigan University. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering, reading and golfing.

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Recognizing the importance of vaccination for American health and security

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Preventing and fighting disease: A look at the biopharmaceutical progress made for patients in 2024

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Recognizing the value of disease prevention with Dr. Len Friedland from GSK

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September 16, 2024

Did the administration consider the value of innovative diabetes medicines in price setting process?

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Case study: How seniors could face access disruptions because of the IRA’s price setting provisions

July 22, 2024

New Report: Vaccines continue to drive improved health outcomes

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PhRMA reiterates concerns with IRA price setting program, urges CMS to mitigate harm

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The IRA could lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for 3.5 million Medicare patients in 2026

June 25, 2024

IRA is already negatively impacting access to medicines in Part D

April 25, 2024

New study finds insurers and PBMs increasing access restrictions in Medicare Part D

April 16, 2024

World Vaccine Congress: Building on vaccine success

April 1, 2024

As the administration continues to falsely claim Medicare “negotiation,” keep these points in mind

February 1, 2024

WHO Pandemic Agreement offers opportunities and risks for American innovators

November 20, 2023

New Report: 1,600 cancer treatments and vaccines in clinical development

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ICYMI: 3 takeaways on the IRA’s unintended consequences from America’s Physician Groups’ 2023 annual fall conference

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What you should know about protecting your health this fall

October 16, 2023

ICYMI: Government watchdog report finds patients in Medicare Part D paid billions more for medicines than insurers and PBMs

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IRA threatens seniors’ access to robust treatment options

September 26, 2023

Medicare Prescription Payment Plan will benefit patients if implemented correctly

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Correcting the record: IRA’s government price setting provisions are unconstitutional

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IRA changes to Part D risk access to medicines

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With the first list of medicines out, let’s not forget why government price setting is bad policy

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A conversation with Dr. Mike Ybarra on the current state of COVID-19

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Four things for CMS to keep in mind as they implement changes to Part D

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CMS guidance on IRA price setting process doubles down on bad policy

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March 28, 2023

Celebrating the success of the COVID-19 vaccines, and looking to the future

March 27, 2023

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March 20, 2023

Word of the Month: What is TRIPS?

November 29, 2022

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November 17, 2022

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November 15, 2022

Word of the Month: Long COVID

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Many seniors are paying more for Part D medicines than their insurer

October 18, 2022

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October 13, 2022

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October 5, 2022

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September 27, 2022

A key fact the White House is reluctant to admit

September 27, 2022

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September 22, 2022

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September 1, 2022

Myth vs. Fact: The Senate’s latest price setting proposal

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Celebrating Medicare’s 57th anniversary

August 2, 2022

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The Senate’s latest price setting proposal will undermine: Patient access to medicines

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July 15, 2022

Polling continues to show voters reject so-called Medicare “negotiation” once they learn about consequences for patients

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May 5, 2022

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Part D 101: Three charts show how the program provides comprehensive prescription drug coverage

April 26, 2022

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February 24, 2022

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February 23, 2022

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Guest Blog: COVID-19 vaccines are the key to keeping kids healthy

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PhRMA submits comments urging CMS to withdraw coverage proposal

February 11, 2022

Government price setting won’t stop insurers from shifting costs to patients

February 2, 2022

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February 1, 2022

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January 25, 2022

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December 17, 2021

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Guest post: Congress should not put future innovation at risk

November 29, 2021

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November 23, 2021

ICYMI: PhRMA CEO speaks at STAT Summit about government price setting

November 19, 2021

Three things to know about so-called Medicare negotiation polling

November 18, 2021

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November 11, 2021

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November 11, 2021

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October 19, 2021

ICYMI: New study confirms policies like H.R. 3 could significantly reduce drug development

October 18, 2021

New poll shows Americans reject Medicare negotiation once they learn more about the policy

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October 6, 2021

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September 23, 2021

Five reasons tying VA prices to Medicare Part D misses the mark

September 22, 2021

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September 15, 2021

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September 8, 2021

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August 31, 2021

Recent polling misrepresents public support for Medicare “negotiation”

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August 24, 2021

What they’re saying: Patient advocates want to protect Medicare from government interference

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August 4, 2021

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July 30, 2021

Increasing global access to vaccines by optimizing production

July 29, 2021

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July 20, 2021

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July 15, 2021

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July 15, 2021

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July 2, 2021

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June 30, 2021

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Out-of-pocket trends in Medicare Part D show rising costs for seniors

May 24, 2021

ICYMI: PhRMA president and CEO Stephen J. Ubl joins other industry leaders for a conversation on COVID-19 vaccines with Axios

May 21, 2021

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May 20, 2021

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May 13, 2021

PhRMA CAREs Grant request for proposals: Addressing inequities in access to COVID-19 testing, therapeutics and vaccines

May 6, 2021

Ron Busby, Sr., President and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. on improving vaccine confidence in community

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April 26, 2021

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April 22, 2021

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April 12, 2021

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March 22, 2021

ICYMI: Bipartisan lawmakers urge new administration to oppose changes to six protected classes policy

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March 8, 2021

Intellectual property is the key to vaccine development, manufacturing and technology sharing

March 5, 2021

Coming together to fight COVID-19: A conversation with Paul Perreault, CEO and Managing Director of CSL

February 24, 2021

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February 22, 2021

Key excerpts: PhRMA submits comments to keep the six protected classes protected

February 19, 2021

Action needed to preserve the six protected classes

February 3, 2021

Growing trend: Increased vaccine confidence

January 28, 2021

Key facts: The final rebate rule will be a positive change for patients

January 19, 2021

End of year Part D reading List

December 18, 2020

New analysis finds stark difference in coverage of breast cancer medicines for seniors in the United States and England

December 10, 2020

Guest post: How COVID-19 underscores the importance of public confidence in vaccines

December 7, 2020

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December 1, 2020

Final rebate rule represents right way to change Medicare

December 1, 2020

Understanding the emergency use authorization process for COVID-19 vaccines

November 12, 2020

Open Enrollment: How to find a Medicare plan that meets your needs

October 14, 2020

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October 8, 2020

Three reasons why repealing the Part D non-interference clause is a bad idea

October 1, 2020

Coming together to fight COVID-19: A conversation with Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO of Pfizer, Inc.

September 17, 2020

National Medicare Education Week: The history of Medicare Part D

September 15, 2020

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