How Much Does The COVID-19 Vaccine Cost?

What are your questions about the coronavirus vaccine?

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Cliff asked on Facebook how much the COVID-19 vaccines cost, and who is paying for them?

The costs of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being covered by the federal government as part of Operation Warp Speed, the national effort to produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.

Using taxpayer dollars, the federal government has paid for hundreds of millions of vaccines to be given at no cost to Americans, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

But while the vaccines themselves have already been paid for, providers, such as hospital systems, may bill you an administrative fee after you get your shot.

These charges are common with other vaccines, such as the flu shot.

But, federal officials are asking private health insurance companies to cover those costs for the COVID-19 vaccine due to the pandemic being a public health emergency, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

In an October interview with NPR, director Seema Verma said CMS has put out new regulations that require private insurance companies to cover the vaccine.

Also, CMS will reimburse vaccine fees for Medicare and Medicaid users at least through 2021, officials announced in late October.

For people who don't have insurance, hospitals, and other providers can be reimbursed for vaccine costs by the federal CARES Act Provider Relief Fund. HHS is distributing this fund to hospital systems and health care providers to help with financial hardship during the pandemic.

People covered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) also should not have to pay for the vaccine, because it qualifies as preventative care.

From what we know at this point, you shouldn’t have to pay for your vaccine. But, exceptions may apply, and more information will come forward once vaccines are available to the general public in a few months.

The Moderna vaccine was authorized for emergency use last week by the Food and Drug Administration, and shipments of these doses are arriving at hospitals, nursing homes, and local health departments this week.

More shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, which was administered to many front line health care workers last week, are also on the way.

Due to the continuous shipping and delivery of these vaccines, federal officials expect 300 million doses to be available by January 2021, according to Operation Warp Speed officials. Essential workers and people with underlying health conditions could be next in line to get the shots after frontline and health care workers.