Yes, the COVID vaccines really are free, but bring your insurance card anyway
Long lines and lack of appointments are making the vaccines against COVID-19 hard to get, but something people shouldn’t worry about is the cost.
The vaccines are free to everyone, regardless of whether they have private or government insurance or no insurance at all.
The federal government, through the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, bought the vaccines from the manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, and is providing them to states and pharmacies to distribute at no cost. Those who participate in the federal COVID-19 vaccination program must agree to administer the vaccine without asking recipients to pay any extra charges or fees.
But if you do have insurance, hospitals and physicians will probably want you to bring your card along when you get vaccinated.
That’s because while the government paid for the vaccine, it hasn’t necessarily paid to get it into people’s arms. Storing and handling the vaccine, keeping records and running the clinics where people get their shots all costs money, mostly to pay staff who would normally be doing something else.
Insurance companies get billed
So hospitals, such as those in the UNC Health system, are asking people to bring along their insurance card so the hospital can bill the company an administration fee. The federal government requires most private health plans and issuers to cover these fees without cost-sharing with patients, but even if an insurance company balks or pays only part of the fee, UNC won’t charge the patient, said spokesman Alan Wolf.
“Patients will not pay anything out of pocket, even if the insurer denies their claim for some reason,” Wolf said.
Duke Health also asks insurers to pay for administering the vaccine.
“Medicare, Medicaid and most major insurers have stated that they will waive all patient out-of-pocket expenses related to administration of the vaccine,” Duke tells patients. “If you believe you have received a bill in error, please call our Customer Service department.”
WakeMed is not yet billing insurance companies for COVID-19 immunizations, said Dr. Chris DeRienzo, chief medical officer. WakeMed is working to get vaccine available to patients through primary care practices and community health centers, which may bill private and public insurance plans the way they do with flu vaccinations, DeRienzo said.
But WakeMed may also begin asking for insurance cards at mass vaccination events, DeRienzo said.
“We will need a way to fund the operation of clinics, especially as we start much larger-scale and longer-term initiatives,” he said.
For patients without insurance of any kind, Congress created the Provider Relief Fund that health care providers can draw on to cover vaccination administration fees.
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Yes, the COVID vaccines really are free, but bring your insurance card anyway."
