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National Vaccine Program Office meets about IOM’s Financing Vaccines Report
The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) held a meeting in Washington DC at the end of June to discuss reactions to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, “Financing Vaccines in the 21st Century.” Groups represented at the meeting included: manufacturers, federal, state, and local health departments, distributors, purchasers, health care providers, and consumer groups.
The themes that came out of the meeting were:
·
Vaccines are undervalued and that the current financing system is not adequate.
·
Funding is not keeping pace with costs – many new expensive vaccines
are coming down the pike.
·
Need to assure access to all without financial barriers.
·
Providers need to be reimbursed adequately.
·
Need to improve immunizations for adults and adolescents.
·
Need to work towards regulatory harmonization for vaccines.
·
Need to strengthen liability protection.
·
Need to maintain an adequate supply of vaccines.
In terms of the IOM Recommendations the following themes emerged:
·
No one supported the IOM recommendation for the insurance mandate combined
with the government subsidy and voucher plan.
·
No one thought the IOM proposal was achievable – and even if it were,
most felt it was a questionable approach.
·
Most wanted improvements in the current system. Everyone spoke of the success
of the VFC program and how it needs to be expanded upon rather than replaced.
·
There was universal support for the 317 program for both purchasing vaccines
and for financial assistance for outreach, education, quality control etc.
Claire Hannan, Executive Director of AIM, was asked to provide some comments from the state immunization directors’ perspective. Claire stressed the need to develop a financing system that ensures immunization coverage for all children – preferably in a medical home. She talked about the importance of 317 funds and the successes of the VFC program. She also read a statement by AIRA emphasizing the importance of the registries in ensuring immunizations and strongly urging that any recommendation from the Committee support the 317 funds for immunization projects and their registries.
Background information for the meeting can be found on the National Vaccine
Program Office web page, www.dhhs.gov/nvpo. (Source: Claire Hannan, AIM)