Caregiver leans over on couch next to older woman.
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U.S. Senate Aging Committee Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) have requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) look into the problem of lower COVID-19 vaccination rates among people with Medicaid compared to the general public.

In their letter to the GAO, the senators cited concerns about possible administrative and technological barriers that block or limit access to data that would help Medicaid programs identify and find individuals who remain unvaccinated.

“The American Rescue Plan Act guaranteed Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to COVID-19 vaccinations without out-of-pocket costs,” they wrote. “As chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, we want to ensure every effort is made to ease vaccine access to these beneficiaries.”

They emphasized the need for this study due to Medicaid’s importance for communities of color and low-wage workers. One analysis estimated 5 million frontline workers are enrolled in Medicaid, meaning essential workers at higher risk of exposure are less likely to be immunized, they said. The senators requested that GAO identify how states have used data to improve vaccination rates among these core groups.

And to the extent that states have invested time and money in overcoming data barriers to track COVID-19 vaccinations, the senators are seeking to ensure that those new systems remain. They noted that these investments in better data sharing have the potential to help states address other public health concerns, prioritize health equity, lower health costs and prepare for future pandemics.