Washington, D.C. — As we approach fall, Americans can expect to see a rise in vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases that are more common in colder months. Critically, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provided a mechanism to protect Medicare beneficiaries from these diseases by requiring Medicare drug plans make recommended vaccines free for enrollees. Yet Project 2025’s plans to repeal the IRA would upend this benefit for 54 million Medicare beneficiaries.
A new column from the Center for American Progress explains how Project 2025’s plan to repeal the IRA would threaten access to lifesaving vaccines, increase health care costs, and jeopardize health—especially for already marginalized beneficiaries. Some key takeaways from the column include:
- Project 2025 would take away guaranteed access to free vaccines for nearly 54 million Part D Medicare enrollees. Vaccines are the best protection against preventable diseases, especially for older adults, who are at higher risk of harm from diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and shingles.
- Project 2025’s plan to repeal the IRA would put older adults’ health at risk by increasing Medicare enrollees’ health care costs and decreasing vaccine rates. Before the IRA eliminated vaccine cost-sharing, Medicare Part D enrollees spent $234 million, or $70 per person, in out-of-pocket vaccine costs in 2021. After the IRA was enacted, 20 percent of Medicare Part D enrollees received a recommended free vaccine in 2023, compared with only 7 percent of enrollees in 2021.
- Black and Latino adults and those with lower incomes would be most harmed by repealing no-cost vaccines. Due to structural racism, Black and Latino older adults face a variety of barriers to vaccination that affect their uptake of vaccines compared with white adults. Removing the barrier of out-of-pocket costs, in particular, helps boost vaccine rates among Black, Latino, and low-income adults.
“Project 2025’s plan to repeal the IRA and take away no-cost vaccine coverage for Medicare beneficiaries would cost millions. This would turn the clock back and discourage Medicare beneficiaries from getting vaccines that can help them stay healthy,” said Jill Rosenthal, director of public health policy at CAP and co-author of the column. “Reimposing these barriers to accessing critical vaccines would threaten the health and economic security of vulnerable older Americans.”
Read the column: “Project 2025 Would Eliminate No-Cost Vaccines for 54 Million Medicare Beneficiaries” by Jill Rosenthal and Marquisha Johns
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected].