Sponsors (13)
Introduced December 18, 2025 by Nanette Barragán · Last progress December 18, 2025
The bill would expand vaccine access for low‑income and Medicaid populations through funded transportation and state reimbursement, but does so with open‑ended federal spending and added administrative and implementation risks that could limit effectiveness and shift funds away from community providers.
Low-income people, transportation‑disadvantaged individuals, and Medicaid beneficiaries will get covered nonemergency rides and first/last‑mile services to vaccination sites, reducing out‑of‑pocket barriers and likely increasing vaccination rates.
State governments can partner with the program and receive full federal reimbursement for qualifying transportation costs, enabling states to scale local outreach and lowering state Medicaid spending for vaccine outreach.
Community nonprofits will receive federal funding to run targeted programs that reduce missed vaccine appointments and improve local outreach.
Taxpayers face higher federal outlays because the bill authorizes open‑ended funding ('such sums as may be necessary') and expands 100% federal reimbursement for qualifying transportation costs.
States and CMS will face added administrative complexity to define, implement, and verify which transportation costs qualify, potentially slowing rollout and increasing compliance costs.
Reporting, application, and grant management requirements could burden small community nonprofits with limited administrative capacity, reducing their ability to participate.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates a new HHS competitive grant program to fund qualified nonprofit community organizations to provide prescheduled or on‑demand transportation and first/last‑mile services so low‑income, minority, and other transportation‑disadvantaged people can get vaccines. Requires grantee reporting and annual HHS reporting to Congress, and authorizes appropriations. Changes Medicaid law to make the federal government pay 100% of the cost of nonemergency transportation for Medicaid‑eligible people when that transportation is for receiving eligible vaccines, for costs incurred on or after enactment.