Federal officials promised the new covid shot would be free and covered by insurance, but some Americans have encountered a different reality this week as they tried to get vaccinated, only to be denied coverage or charged up to $200.

They have faced myriad complications, from pharmacies being out of network, to the vaccine not showing up on lists of approved medical expenses, to needing prior authorization. Some Americans paid out of pocket to avoid waiting. Others say they weren’t even given that option.

The hiccups reflect a new reality for covid vaccines as they go from being treated as a public good to a commercial product. Now that the federal government is no longer buying and distributing all the shots, Americans must endure the usual headaches of dealing with insurance companies and a for-profit health care system.

“Last year there was one player — the federal government,” Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview. “And now there’s a lot more players and … they’re not accountable to us.”

In a July letter, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, told public and private insurers to make sure their systems are prepared to immediately cover the costs of covid vaccines in the fall.

After hearing reports of unexpected insurance denials, CMS has been working with plans to ensure their systems are up to date and is reminding them they must immediately cover authorized covid vaccines without cost sharing, according to a statement provided by Health and Human Services spokeswoman Ilse Zuniga.

“The Biden Administration will continue working to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are widely available to the American public at no-cost to them from their local provider, community health center or pharmacy,” the statement said.

Federal officials and health experts say some of these insurance problems appear to be a result of insurance systems that have yet to be updated and billing code errors should be resolved in the coming weeks.

“We are working closely with the federal government, pharmacies, and other partners to quickly ensure patient access to COVID-19 vaccines with $0 cost sharing and address any issues relating to newly added billing codes quickly,” James Swann, a spokesman for the industry group America’s Health Insurance Plans, wrote in an email.

  • iforgotmyinstance@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m in the South right now and literally watched my family bitch about their expensive health insurance and how retirement made it more expensive. These people voted against universal Healthcare at every turn, believing the market to be infallible in their favor.

    Thank God i fly back to the west coast soon.

    • Ubermeisters@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      I’ll go ahead and just say it.

      Fuck the south. Choosing ass beggars that live on costal income while trying to force thier shit small town values on to the rest of the nation.

      Southerners: Just go back to fucking your sisters and let the rest of the civilized world progress please.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Oh yeah, the Washington Post has it so hard.

        Do you think pay wall fees go to the workers? Or ad revenue? As if! They go to the company, and then the company pays the workers less than they are worth. Same as any job.

        • ShittyRedditWasBetter@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Do I care where the money is going? Subscription based writing is higher quality. I couldn’t give two fucks who gets the lion share.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            Hard disagree - the highest quality comes from donations, not subscriptions or ads. That’s why I have a regular donation set up for Democracy Now! WaPo isn’t getting shit from me

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                1 year ago

                A donation is not an exchange, it’s a reciprocal gift. I don’t need to donate, I want to because their coverage is good and I want that to continue. It’s entirely voluntary on my part, I am not compelled to donate to access their content. Plus, I’m helping keep that content free for people who can’t afford to donate.

                Now, ask yourself how WaPo is still running despite being so far in the red. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?

  • Lem Jukes@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    How anyone is able to see for profit healthcare as anything other than legalized extortion and murder is fucking beyond me.

    • TheFriar@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Right? The millions and millions of us without insurance were kind of just glossed over. Surprise, surprise, America’s “profit before everything” system overlooks those from whom insurance companies aren’t profiting.

  • paddirn@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Awesome. CVS canceled my visit last week for the vaccine, wondering what inane BS I’ll have to navigate afterwards tmrw when I go in for it.

    • Gruntyfish@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They cancelled my visit today for it too. They told me it isn’t available yet, but I was still able to sign up for it??

      • MrQuallzin@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Blame CVS itself and not the stores. They don’t have any control on the signups. Corporate doesn’t care if the stores can’t fulfill the appointments

      • paddirn@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That happened to me last week, apparently I’m good for my appt today, it’s apparently rolling out unevenly.