People looking to get their new COVID-19 vaccine are sickened by unexpectedly high charges for federally recommended shots.
Customers across the country at pharmacies including Walgreens and CVS who made appointments for jabs this week were shocked to learn they’d be shelling out triple-digit extra fees for their boosters.
“Nightmare is the first word that comes to mind,” Acton, Massachusetts resident Glen Cote told WBZ-TV after he learned his new booster would set him back $190.99.
It is complaint echoed by dozens of social media users after pharmacies called patients everywhere from between $125 to $200 for the latest booster.
Some pharmacists even call customers to warn them of eye-catching charges and recommend they reschedule their appointments.
The unexpected contingency costs are partly the result of pharmacies vying for market share for the new vaccine, The Albany Times Union reported.
Chains like CVS and Walgreens rushed to place orders for the latest jab, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last week, before some insurance plans updated their systems for the new catch-up billing codes.
“Some payers are still updating their systems and may not be prepared to accommodate the updated COVID-19 vaccine,” a CVS spokesperson told WBZ.
People are complaining on social media about being charged up to $190 at pharmacies for their new COVID-19 vaccine.AP
The COVID vaccine is free for everyone through the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration, which ended earlier this year. Commercial insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid must cover the cost of vaccinations without co-pays for patients, according to KFF.
People without health insurance can get free COVID vaccines through local health care centers; state, local, tribal or territorial health departments; or pharmacies involved in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Bridge Access program, according to the federal agency.
The latest COVID shot was developed to protect recipients from the XBB variant and has been shown to provide some protection against other new variants as well. The CDC last week recommended that anyone six months and older receive a booster this fall.
The charges were the result of pharmacies ordering the vaccine ahead of time before insurance plans updated their systems with the vaccine’s new billing code.REUTERS
Covid cases have increased across the country as colder weather sets in.
The state Health Department showed a slow but steady increase in the number of COVID cases in the five districts in the past few months, with about 650 patients hospitalized as of Friday, including 63 in intensive care. That’s up from 150 people hospitalized at the end of June.
Hospital admissions this year peaked in early January, when about 1,950 people were treated as inpatients.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
