The Covid vaccine is free, but not everyone believes it

When Paul Moser considers vaccination with the coronavirus vaccine, he also considers his unpaid medical debt. That’s $ 1,200 from several urological visits he couldn’t pay off.

Moser, a 52-year-old gas station cashier in New York I have a friend in the state who was surprised by the coronavirus test bill and is worried that the same thing could happen with vaccines. For now, he has postponed getting his shot.

“The legislator told me that all tests should be free, but to my surprise, it’s $ 150,” he said. “I agree that vaccination is important, but I don’t feel urgent about it.”

Congress has passed a law prohibiting pharmacies and hospitals from claiming patients with the coronavirus vaccine. The sign on the vaccination site advertises that the shots are free. From the beginning, health officials and government leaders have told the public that it wouldn’t cost anything. And there are few reports that people have been prosecuted.

Still, some unvaccinated adults Surprise bill As a reason not to get a shot. Many of them are accustomed to invoices that are frequent, expensive, and often unexpected.

A Recent Kaiser Family Foundation polls About one-third of unvaccinated adults were uncertain whether their insurance covered the new vaccine and were concerned that they might have to pay for the injections. Concerns were particularly pronounced among Hispanic and black survey respondents.

“Our conversation is like this:’Yes, I think it’s a good thing. Yes, I want it, but I don’t have insurance,” he says, servicing a large number of Hispanics. Ilan Shapiro, Medical Director of AltaMed, a community health network in Southern California, said. “We are trying to make sure everyone knows it’s free.”

The confusion may represent a lack of information or skepticism that the bill will not follow a doctor’s consultation. Kaiser’s director of research and research, Liz Hamel, said it may reflect people’s experience with the health care system. “People may have heard that it’s available for free, but I can’t believe it.”

Congress sought to protect patients from requests for coronavirus vaccines and tests. In the early days of the pandemic, insurers mandated that they waive their out-of-pocket and deductions for both services and set up a fund to refund doctors examining uninsured patients.

Still, the patient found himself confronting Test invoice — Some are over $ 1,000. Some doctors charged uninsured patients for the test, not the new federal fund. Others have worked on unexpected fees and services for test visits.

Vaccine claim rules created Even tougher.. To become a vaccinated person, doctors and pharmacies had to sign a contract that promised not to charge patients for firing.

It seems that stronger protection worked.Many patients encountered a coronavirus bill for testing — the New York Times Documented Dozens of cases of bills submitted by readers — only a handful are related to vaccines.

Still, some unexpected accusations slipped through: Illinois, North Carolina And Colorado I accidentally received a vaccine bill. In all cases, the vaccine provider canceled the claim and apologized for the error.

The federal government has received several complaints about unexpected claims and recently warned doctors about claims to patients.

Surprising bills for coronavirus vaccines, tests, and other medical treatments can impress patients. Americans with medical debt are more likely to skip the care they need than people with other types of debt, such as unpaid credit card bills and student loans. 2013 survey By Lucy Carusova, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Riverside.

“Vaccines may be said to be free for those who have medical debt, but they are also this very negative with the medical system that created distrust. I experienced a previous encounter. “She said.

Some patients worried about the cost of the coronavirus vaccine said they were always hoping for a bill that would follow the appointment of a doctor. They quoted stories from friends and family who paid for expensive coronavirus tests and treatments and wondered why the vaccines were different.

“This is the United States. Your health care is not free,” said Elizabeth Drummond, a 42-year-old mother in unvaccinated Oregon. “I feel like it’s how the vaccination process goes. They try to take advantage of it.”

Research may have exaggerated the number of Americans who are afraid to receive a surprising vaccine bill. When the Times conducted a follow-up interview with Kaiser’s help, some poll respondents who expressed this concern said it wasn’t really that important.

Instead, they said they responded that way to express their frustration with vaccines and the broader American health system.

“The cost is in every detail,” said Cody Sirman, a 32-year-old who worked in the manufacturing industry in Texas and decided to vaccinate. He said he was willing to pay for the vaccine if he trusted it, but he wouldn’t. “I think the vaccine is a complete fake. It was just a way to know how much the government could control the population.”

For many, the potential cost of a vaccine is only part of the constellation of why they remain unvaccinated. It can often be difficult for pollsters to know the deciding factors, or even to identify patients. A separate study from the Census Bureau last month found that Americans are more concerned about vaccine side effects than potential charges.

“Most people don’t say they’re worried about just one thing. Usually that’s a lot,” said Hamel of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Tiffany Addotey, a 42-year-old school bus driver in North Carolina, cites cost concerns. This is mainly due to her experience trying to get a coronavirus test.

“I’m worried that there may be places where coronavirus testing can cost as much as $ 200,” she said. “I didn’t pay. I went home. The bills are enough.”

There are other things she is concerned about. For example, the safety of rapidly developing vaccines and the recent suspension of Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

When federal law made all Americans available to the vaccine for free, Addotey said, “So do I have to pay my own copayment?” I answered.

“It helped me a bit,” she said, knowing that it would be really free at no cost. But at least it wasn’t enough to reassure her about getting vaccinated.

“I’ll wait a little longer for the market,” she said. “With a little more research and a little more time, I feel I can get it.”