Payer COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Program Vaccinates 2M Seniors

AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) have helped over two million seniors receive the COVID-19 vaccine through their vaccine outreach program.

The Vaccine Community Connectors (VCC) campaign first launched back in March 2021 to increase vaccination rates in people over 65 years of age, with a special focus on individuals facing social determinants of health barriers and racial care disparities.

“Throughout the pandemic, racial and geographic gaps in our nation’s health care system have shown disproportionate harm to many Black, Hispanic, rural and other underserved communities,” Tonya Adams, national spokesperson for the VCC program and senior vice president of customer experience and operations at Regence BlueCross BlueShield, said in the press release.

More than 50 payers have joined AHIP and BCBSA in their vaccine initiative, which has expanded to include Medicaid members and other underserved communities. The program surpassed its two-million-person goal in under 100 days.

The VCC organizers used the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index to seek out their members in the most at-risk communities in the country. After communicating directly with members, the payers used personalized approaches to increase their access to the vaccine, such as providing transportation to vaccination sites and clinics.

“The COVID-19 vaccines are saving lives and are our best tool for stopping this pandemic so all of us can enjoy the moments we’ve missed over the past year. That’s why health insurance providers have been working with federal, state and local leaders to connect Americans with vaccines, especially in hard-hit and often hard-to-reach communities as quickly and equitably as possible,” Matt Eyles, president and chief executive officer of AHIP, stated in the press release.

“Along the way, we’ve also gained real insight into how we continue this work to overcome other pressing health challenges. While we can’t fix health inequities overnight, we must learn the lessons this pandemic has taught us to deliver more focused, impactful policies that improve health equity.”

By partnering with healthcare payers, states can better ensure that their citizens have easier access to healthcare needs, including vaccines. Through public-private partnerships, payers can also gain access to community data, helping them distribute resources to those who need it the most.

While the VCC campaign continues to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines, AHIP and participating payers aim to go beyond that, the press release noted. By maintaining partnerships with state and federal leaders, payers can identify underserved communities and help them achieve health equity by increasing access to other vaccines and healthcare services.

“Our collaborative effort reached and vaccinated more than two million seniors—but we’re not stopping there. In addition to continuing COVID-19 vaccinations, health insurance providers will continue to break down long-standing barriers to access for other vaccines, as well as to help people in these communities manage their chronic diseases,” Adams added.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine was made available to the public, many payers have implemented outreach tactics to encourage their members to get vaccinated.

For example, Centene launched a call campaign to help members arrange vaccine appointments. The payer also created a public service announcement that stressed the importance of getting vaccinated for the benefits of loved ones. Other payers, like Cigna, offered free transportation to vaccination sites for Medicare Advantage members and financial rewards for vaccination.

While efforts like the VCC campaign feature the benefits of private-public partnerships, the relationship between payers and federal officials has seen some friction during the coronavirus pandemic, specifically on the subject of data-sharing. 

Payers have pushed for access to more CDC data related to coronavirus vaccinations. They argued that claims data is insufficient and that the ability to see de-identified vaccination data sets would help them target their coronavirus vaccination efforts.

Nevertheless, public-private partnerships have proven key to coronavirus relief and recovery efforts.