Alliance, 28 Others Oppose Payer Access Barrier to CDC-Recommended Vaccines for Older Adults

Today, 29 organizations sent a sign-on letter to CEOs at UnitedHealth Group, OptumRx Pharmacy, Inc., Humana, CVS Health, and Elevance Health to request that they refrain from any dealmaking with Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in their upcoming June 2024 Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Part D contract bids that would result in limited availability of certain vaccines at local, in-network pharmacies during the upcoming respiratory virus season.

We also included the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, to praise CMS for posting an open letter to the companies last December that noted: “concerns about certain practices by some plans and PBMs that threaten the sustainability of many pharmacies, impede access to care, and put an increased burden on health care providers.” Read CMS’ open letter.

The letters provide additional context, including the real threat that these business practices could limit access to critical vaccines that protect older Americans and the immunocompromised.

“We cannot allow additional access barriers to be placed when we should be focused on removing them,” said Sue Peschin, President & CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research. “On behalf of the Alliance for Aging Research, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Service Programs, and National Consumers League (NCL), thank you to all of our fabulous partners for signing on.”

The letters were signed by the following:

• Alliance for Aging Research
• The ALS Association
• American Kidney Fund
• American Pharmacists Association
• American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP)
• Association of Immunization Managers
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• Autoimmune Association
• HealthHIV
• HealthyWomen
• Hydrocephalus Association
• Immune Deficiency Foundation
• LeadingAge
• Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.
• National Alliance for Caregiving
• National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
• National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc.
• National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)
• National Consumers League
• National Council on Aging
• National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)
• National Grange
• National Health Council
• National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA)
• National Kidney Foundation
• National MS Society
• National Psoriasis Foundation
• Patients Rising
• RetireSafe

Update: The following responses to the letter were received: