Costa, California Dem Delegation urges swift reimbursement to Community Clinics for Monkeypox Vaccine Administration

WASHINGTON - Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) joined the California Congressional Delegation in a letter urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to swiftly approve reimbursement of community clinics in California for administering monkeypox virus (MPV) vaccines.

“Community clinics and other providers work tirelessly to ensure access to timely, affordable care for all individuals, regardless of ability to pay,” wrote the lawmakers. “Providers including community clinics have already distributed tens of thousands of MPV vaccines without reimbursement for vaccine administration. These safety net providers rely on adequate reimbursement to continue providing these critical services vaccinating our communities...Your rapid and urgent attention to these requests will help to ensure that critical providers and community clinics in our districts are able to continue their vital work vaccinating the residents of California and combating the MPV outbreak.” 

In July, Costaco-sponsored H.Res.1286 - Expressing the sentiment of Congress that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. Following the introduction of this resolution, the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Xavier Becerra, declared the monkeypox virus a public health emergency in the United States on August 4, 2022. 

A copy of the letter is available here.