CQ Roll Call: Medicaid beneficiaries less likely to get COVID-19 shots

From CQ Roll Call: Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine announced in May that COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Medicaid enrollees was 22 percent, compared with 45 percent of Ohioans overall — despite recent headlines about new incentives to get a shot, including a statewide $1 million lottery. “Obviously, that’s not a number we’re happy with,” said DeWine. “We must get these numbers up. It’s simply unacceptable.” Health inequities were brought to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic, amplified by socioeconomic barriers. Now, as the supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States remains stable and eligibility has been extended to almost all Americans, local data shows that Medicaid beneficiaries are getting vaccinated at lower rates than the general population. “You can think about those smaller incentives as a way of reimbursing people for expenses,” such as babysitting or transportation, said Kevin Volpp, a professor of medicine and health care management at the University of Pennsylvania and Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) Director. Read the full story in CQ Roll Call.