Billing third party payers for vaccines: state and local health department perspectives.
The cost of adequately immunizing a child has risen steadily with recommendations of new, more expensive vaccines. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, a federal entitlement, has continued to fund all recommended vaccines for eligible children. The one other federal vaccine-funding source, Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act, has not kept pace with rising vaccine costs. For local health departments to immunize children not eligible for VFC, but whose families are underinsured or otherwise unable to pay for vaccines, state immunization programs have often relied on Section 317 funds. Recognizing this funding challenge and having learned that children covered by health insurance were being immunized in public clinics with publicly supplied vaccines, the Oregon Immunization Program (OIP) launched a project to expand billing of health plans by local health departments for vaccines administered to covered persons. This has resulted in significant savings of Section 317 funds, allowing the Oregon program to provide more vaccines for high-need persons.
Quintanilla
Carlos
C
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. carlos.quintanilla@state.or.us
Duncan
Lorraine
L
Luther
Lydia
L
D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D009111:Local Government; D009922:Oregon; D010350:Patient Credit and Collection; D011635:Public Health Administration; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D013219:State Government; D014612:Vaccines / Q000191:economics*
D014612:Vaccines