Blueshield discusses COVID vaccine shortage in Santa Clara County

March 11, 2021

A company working on COVID-19 vaccination in California has rejected Kaiser Permanente’s request for an additional vaccine in Santa Clara County, county leaders said today.

Kaiser is one of the largest healthcare providers in the region, but the vaccine dose is too low to cover patients.that is The county’s “no wrong door” policy, This allows vaccine recipients to sign up for shots at any open appointment, regardless of provider.

Under that plan, more than 20,000 Kaiser patients applied for vaccination appointments through the county’s health care system last month, supervisor Cindy Chavez said Thursday. However, the county did not have enough supply to meet all the appointments.

According to Chavez, the county turned to Kaiser, who has a contract with Blueshield throughout the state, for help. Kaiser asked Blue Shield to help Santa Clara County with thousands of more doses.

Private health insurance companies said no, Chavez said.

“It’s not the flexibility we need in the field,” she said.

Blue Shield said Chavez’s story wasn’t always the case.

“When the issue of Santa Clara County’s vaccine shortage was raised, Blue Shield, which acts as a third-party administrator for the state’s vaccine program, recommended that the state receive additional vaccinations in Santa Clara County. “Blueshield spokeswoman Matthew Yee said. “The state has made a final decision yesterday to resolve the issues reported with all county assignments.”

Mr. Yi said Blue Shield does not determine the final allocation of vaccines.

“All vaccine allocation decisions are made by the state of California, not Blueshield,” Ei said.

Anyway, those canceled appointments and rejected vaccines had a huge spillover effect on the community.

“We (county) had to suspend a new appointment, and that’s a big concern for us,” Chavez said. “For more people, especially the elderly who need a second dose, what we have to call and say is that we can’t take the second dose. That’s not fair.”

Morgan Hill City Councilman Yvonne Martinez Bertrand talks about how 49 COVID-related deaths in her city of 50,000 have hit her people seriously.

“Last week, due to the impact of this change, there were no reservations available (at Morgan Hill),” said Martínez Beltrán. “Governor, if you’re listening … empower our community to help.”

Blue Shield National Trade

Governor Gavin Newsom announced at the end of February Agreement The company distributes vaccine doses between the state and Blue Shield. At the time, Blue Shield officials said they were aiming to get 4 million vaccines by the end of March and to vaccinate 25 million Californians by the summer.

“Blue Shield’s role is to strengthen California’s network of vaccine providers to increase capacity and give communities in every corner of the state access to vaccines, especially those that have suffered the most pandemics,” Yi said. Mr. says.

Santa Clara County officials refused to sign an agreement with Blue Shield, saying they had a system that worked locally. According to Chavez, the county wants to maintain its previous partnership with the state, a partnership that has worked for the past few months.

The county has the infrastructure to vaccinate up to 200,000 inhabitants a week. According to the county’s Vaccine Inventory Dashboard, only 83,000 bookings are planned among all healthcare providers throughout the county.

Local leaders say they want the distribution to be in the hands of the county.

“I trust these people,” said John Horner, Vice President of the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Directors. He gestured to the speakers who came in front of him, many from clinics in the area throughout the county. “I don’t trust Blue Shield. Let them do the job of knowing how to do it.”

Susan Elenberg, a supervisor at the California County Association, said an agreement with the state was underway. But Elenberg said it’s still unclear if it will increase the number of vaccines returned to the county.

Needs-based program bypasses Santa Clara

At the same time, the state announced that it would secure 40% of the vaccine for low-income and hit communities and categorize it by zip code. Not a single zip code Within the county, it was chosen to be assigned the vaccine. But, according to Chavez, it has nothing to do with Santa Clara County’s refusal to sign the Blue Shield contract.

“I don’t think this is retaliation,” Chavez said. “I think everyone is trying to do what we think is best, but we know what is best for our community.”

Lee reiterated that the 40% allocation decision was also a state decision.

“We understand the frustration that everyone feels during this time of limited federal vaccine supply,” Yi said. “We are committed to working together to meet the needs of California today and in the future.”

Kaiser and state health officials were not immediately asked for comment.

Contact or follow Madelyn Reese at [email protected] @MadelynGReese On Twitter.