The Biden Administration announced in September that the federal government has run out of funding to keep providing free COVID-19 vaccines and that, absent further Congressional action, it is preparing to transition vaccines to the commercial market. That move, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis, could increase spending on COVID-19 vaccines by billions of dollars per year.

"Manufacturers will be negotiating prices directly with insurers and purchasers, not just the federal government, and prices are expected to rise," according to the Dec. 7 report, titled "How Much Could COVID-19 Vaccines Cost the U.S. After Commercialization?"

While the analysts note that most people will still have free access to vaccines, "the cost of purchasing vaccines for the population is likely to rise on a per dose basis, though the extent to which it affects total health spending is dependent on vaccine uptake and any negotiated discounts, among other factors."