COVID-19 Vaccines Approved Down to 6 Months Old, Health Plans Must Immediately Cover

On Friday, June 17, 2022, the US FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in children down to 6 months of age. CDC endorsed the recommendation the following day.

As a result, all non-grandfathered health plans must immediately cover these vaccines (including authorized extra doses and boosters) with no cost sharing to the plan participants.

  • “The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is administered as a primary series of two doses, one month apart, to individuals 6 months through 17 years of age.”
    • “The vaccine is also authorized to provide a third primary series dose at least one month following the second dose for individuals in this age group who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise.”
  • “The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is administered as a primary series of three doses in which the initial two doses are administered three weeks apart followed by a third dose administered at least eight weeks after the second dose in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age.”