“Please start getting ready and making plans to stay with family and friends as accommodations are extremely limited,” Lori Forbes, the emergency coordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, posted on social media.
Together, the moves have left health experts, vaccine makers and insurers uncertain about what to advise and what comes next.“It’s going to add a lot of confusion overall,” said Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Some of this season’s vaccine is still available. Insurance industry experts say if people had insurance coverage before Kennedy’s announcement, it’s highly unlikely that would have ended instantly based on the secretary’s video announcement. That means if someone could find a shot, they’d likely be able to get one for now.Who will be able to get what vaccines this fall is still unclear.Vaccine manufacturers plan to issue updated COVID-19 shots in the late summer or fall. But the Food and Drug Administration has said it plans to limit approval of seasonal shots to seniors and others at high risk, pending more studies of everyone else.
Even if the U.S. approves vaccines only for certain groups, it still may be possible for others to get the shot depending on the outcome of upcoming advisory meetings, regulatory moves and decisions from insurers and employers.Insurers base coverage decisions on the recommendations of that CDC panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. It’s not clear what role that panel now will play. Paying out of pocket could cost about $200.
The CDC says its new language for healthy kids and pregnant women — known as shared decision-making — means health insurers must pay for the vaccinations.
Some insurers and employers may decide to still cover the shots no matter what, said Jen Kates, a senior vice president at the non-profit KFF, which studies health care issues. She noted that they may view the expense as worthwhile if it avoids a higher bill from someone hospitalized by the coronavirus.Iran attacks US military base in Qatar
In apparent attempt to curry favor with the president, Huang last monthsome of its AI chips and supercomputers in plants located in Arizona and Texas. Huang also accompanied
earlier this month, signaling Nvidia’s ambitions to sell more of its AI chips in the Middle East as that region attempts to lessen its economy dependence on oil.Trump also extended a helping hand to Nvidia of by