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DENVER (KDVR) — Federal funding has run out for COVID-19 treatments, meaning uninsured patients will have to foot the bill. Hospital officials have a warning for what this could mean if you’re looking to get vaccinated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the first half of last year, nearly 10% of Americans were uninsured. That’s more than 31 million people. The Problem Solvers have learned that starting next week, free COVID-19 testing could be in jeopardy for all of those patients, but one local health provider is making sure that doesn’t happen.

“Now is not the time for the federal government to run out of money,” Ben Wiederholt said. He is the president and CEO of STRIDE Community Health Center, a health provider focused on caring for low-income Coloradans.

“As variants come forward, that’s going to increase the need for testing,” he said.

“That’s going to have more people interested in receiving the vaccine and as those numbers climb, that’s gonna just increase the amount of deficit,” he added.

Congressional impasse

Wiederholt said what’s happening on a federal level is a bitter pill to swallow for local patients.

“What I can tell you with assurance is we will not allow cost to be a barrier to access to the testing and vaccinations that people need,” he said.

An impasse in Congress over coronavirus funding is leading to all of this.

One of the programs now in jeopardy is the Health Resources and Services Administration’s “uninsured program,” which reimburses providers.

Last week, March 22, they notified Americans they’ll no longer pay to reimburse health care providers for COVID-19 testing and treatment services.

The federal program will also stop accepting vaccination claims starting on Tuesday, April 5.

A recent WebMD headline says some Americans could pay up to $200 for a single test, no doubt a huge blow for millions of Americans.

“For some patients now at STRIDE, we work with our Board of Directors to make sure that our testing is affordable. So at worse, they might pay $12 for testing and for vaccinations, we don’t charge for the administration of the vaccine, Wiederholt said.

There are several STRIDE clinics around the metro. About A quarter of its patients are uninsured.