Obama's Budget Would Cut Key Vaccine Program

(Dirk Ercken/Dreamstime)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Monday, 09 February 2015 08:47 AM EST

Planned cuts to the federal immunization program's budget are justified because Americans are entitled to free vaccines through Obamacare, according to the Obama administration, but that may not be the case, a Washington Post analysis finds.

Earlier this month, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a briefing that as "the Affordable Care Act actually guarantees that every citizen in this country has access to free preventative care, including the measles vaccine ... we no longer need to provide additional government funding to ensure that those vaccines can be administered."

Obama's 2016 budget calls for an 8 percent cut, or $50 million, to the federal 317 program, which sends money to states to pay for vaccinations for the uninsured or underinsured. Further, the program allows public health official to respond when there are outbreaks of diseases that are preventable by vaccines, including the current measles outbreak.

Obamacare has expanded care to the uninsured, with the Kaiser Family Foundation reporting that 57 percent of people who have bought coverage through the marketplace did not have insurance before. Earnest said that people no longer need to worry about "using money as an excuse to not get their kid vaccinated."

But, the Post points out, cuts to the 317 program would do more than just disrupt its free vaccination program — the program also delivers vaccines for insured children and adults during an outbreak. It also helps alleviate shortages, such as occurred in 2012-13, when pediatricians did not buy enough influenza vaccines to cover all patients.

In addition, the program pays for state and local health departments to provide education services. Last year, when the Obama administration cut funding by $51.5 million, vaccine purchases were cut by $37.5 million, while other operations took a $14 million hit.

Administration officials pointed out Obama's proposal calls for a $128 million increase for the Vaccines for Children program, which does provide vaccines for uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid-eligible children.

However, millions still do rely on the 317 program's vaccinations, as more than 41 million non-elderly Americans remained uninsured in 2013, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Post also pointed out that rising costs are keeping many physicians from providing all vaccines to their patients, and insurance reimbursement rates have been declining, leaving patients to rely on public health agencies.

"When we’re looking at an outbreak, such as with measles, sometimes the concern is less about, 'Is that person insured,' than it is really about getting the vaccine out there and distributing it," Chris Aldridge, senior director for infectious disease at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told the Post.