Lisa Jarvis: Throughout the pandemic, Covid vaccines and treatments were free in the US. What could a commercial market mean for individual consumers? Sam Fazeli: It will be tough for the booster campaign.
If people were reticent to get a booster shot when vaccines were free, what happens when they have to pay? The roughly 8% of the US population that has no health insurance will be worst hit.
This group is at higher risk of infection because they tend to work in jobs where they are repeatedly exposed to the virus. And rates of obesity and other health issues, which predispose individuals to more severe Covid, are higher in this population.
Even those with health insurance will have to fund some of the cost out of pocket, which is a problem at a time when cost of living is rising fast.