By Michael Erman and Ahmed Aboulenein
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans have begun rolling up their sleeves to receive the latest edition of the COVID-19 vaccine, but weeks after its release, some say they are still suffering from appointments for themselves and their children.
Vaccine applicants are also surprised by requests for upfront bills of $150 to $200 now that the U. S. government has outsourced private companies, adding vaccine manufacturers, pharmacies and insurance plans, to manage the distribution, management and policy of the bills.
Many Americans were eager to get vaccinated after COVID-19 cases appeared across much of the country in September.
About four million people received the updated Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines in September, and 12 million doses were shipped, according to data from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. 6 months of age and older get one.
Kate MacDowell, a 50-year-old freelancer who lives in Portland, Oregon, said her vaccine appointment was canceled through her physical care provider, Kaiser Permanente, and she hadn’t been able to get another one in about a month. She and her husband canceled an overseas trip in late September, in part because they couldn’t locate the vaccines.
“Before, even if water was scarce, you could find a place and drive to get it,” MacDowell said. “The federal government or county health department tells you to stop getting vaccinated, and it’s just impossible.
Kaiser has not commented on MacDowell’s experience in Oregon. The multistate physical care provider, the target of a three-day strike with 75,000 employees this week, said it doesn’t cover out-of-network vaccines in California, where, through the law, members can be reimbursed for COVID-19 vaccines from non-Kaiser providers, including retail pharmacies, through November 11.
The U. S. government ended the COVID public health emergency declaration in May in which it purchased the vaccines and distributed them free of charge to all Americans.
Under the current privatized system, fitness insurance plans are required by law to cover injections for free. Pharmacies and physical care providers order injections in advance from brands and obtain them from distributors.
Pfizer and Moderna say they shipped the vaccines as planned.
Early last week, Pfizer said it had shipped and delivered more than 10 million doses of its 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine, more than one million pediatric doses. Moderna also said it had shipped millions of doses.
CVS, the U. S. pharmacy chain, said Thursday it is still experiencing delays in deliveries by its wholesalers.
Walmart said it will offer updated COVID vaccines at all outlets as the source becomes available. Walgreens, a unit of Walgreens Boots Alliance, said all outlets now have the source they want to satisfy in their communities.
McKesson, one of the largest U. S. wholesalers, said it has distributed more than 3. 8 million doses so far. He expressed a desire to speed up the entire chain of origin, and said this could have an effect on delivery dates for some customers.
“We are working diligently to process COVID-19 stocks as temporarily as they are earned and are expanding our order processing daily,” a spokesperson said.
Cardinal Health, the lead distributor, said it also shipped several million COVID-19 vaccines “with some minor and short-term delays. “
PHARMACIES ALSO PAY IN ADVANCE
After reports of denials of payments at the start of the campaign, health insurance officials met with government officials on Sept. 27 and said they planned to administer vaccines through network providers.
“Health insurance continues to teach Americans where and how to get their COVID vaccines as part of their plan’s coverage,” said David Allen, spokesman for insurance lobby organization AHIP.
Still, other people told Reuters that pharmacies where they had already won COVID vaccines told them the new ones weren’t covered by their plan there.
Independent pharmacists face another problem. Now that the government no longer pays the bill for vaccine supply, pharmacies have to pay for vaccines.
“I was hesitant to ask for everything I knew I would want from the beginning, because they also had some restrictions on their return policy,” said David Kohll of Kohll’s Pharmacy, which has six locations in Nebraska. It takes the reins off my shoulders a little bit. “
An HHS spokesperson said the branch “has been very committed to those issues, including transitioning to the market. “
Other people told Reuters their insurer had asked them to pay upfront and seek reimbursement if their pharmacy requested payment.
James Daily, a 43-year-old software developer from Readington, New Jersey, paid about $600 last month to get vaccinated for himself, his wife and oldest daughter, and said he was struggling to find an appointment for his 4-year-old son. daughter. Daughter.
National regulations on administering vaccines to young people vary.
Dr. Suzanne Berman, a pediatrician in Crossville, Tennessee, said she worried about wasting money.
“Demand has slowed, so I don’t need to buy a lot of products that are going to go to waste,” he said. “If it expires or deteriorates, I have spent cash with no return. “
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(Reporting by Michael Erman in New York and Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington; editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)
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