The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bridge Access program, which provided free COVID-19 vaccines to the uninsured and underinsured, is ending early. It was expected to run through December, but the CDC recently announced it would end Aug. 31.

“The state no longer has Bridge funding, and there will be no vaccines available for patients who were historically treated through that Bridge program,” said Dr. Ian Leber, Chief Medical Officer of the Visiting Nurses Association Community Health Centers.

“The impact is going to be that those individuals who were eligible for using the Bridge Access program will no longer have access to the vaccines, the COVID vaccine specifically, unless they pay out of pocket,” said Elise Barry, Chief Executive Officer, NJ Pharmacists Association.

Out-of-pocket costs per patient could be anywhere from $100 to $150 per vaccine, leaving many people likely to opt not to have it. “It’s a concern, and especially if you have a family of 4, you have that multiplier of 115 to 140 dollars per shot. It’s an expense,” said Yaz Shah, registered pharmacist of Hudson Drug of Cresskill.

The Bridge Access program has delivered about 1.5 million free COVID-19 vaccines since it started. Healthcare experts want to see it continue.

“I think as a country we need to decide where health care fits into our values. And if we firmly believe that health care is a right for every American, then I think it’s incumbent on our elected officials to figure out a way to make sure they have access to that. Right now it’s a split system of access, where it’s partially commercial and there’s more resources available to those who are able to afford commercial insurance by either paying out of pocket or through their employer. And then there are those who rely on the federal government to cover their health care. And then there’s a bunch of people who fall between those worlds and don’t have access to the health care they need,” said Leber.