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| Shingles Vaccine; Why is the cost so high? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 15 2010, 03:32 PM (1,168 Views) | |
| n73pm | Aug 15 2010, 03:32 PM Post #1 |
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I was pricing these vaccines for my mom and found that they are around $220!!! Usually the flu vaccines are around $25-35. Has there been a push on these vaccines before and I just didn't hear about it? I've never seen them advertised like I've seen this year at pharmacies. And if you don't have insurance or insurance that could help pay for these, that's a big chunk of money, especially for the elderly who are not eligible for medicare! Anyone else shocked about the price of this vaccine? Has anyone gotten one already? Was the price about the same as what I've found? |
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| Purple Haze | Aug 15 2010, 09:09 PM Post #2 |
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Veteran
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This is the first I've heard of a shingles vaccine. If you ever had an episode of shingles, the cost would be negligent - to not have that kind of pain is worth EVERY penny. Is your Mom eligible for Part D Medicare? Perhaps having that would ease the bite. |
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| n73pm | Aug 15 2010, 10:03 PM Post #3 |
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No she doesn't have medicare yet and her health insurance is basically worthless. I just can't imagine why it costs so much. I've seen the vaccine advertised at Rite-Aide and Walgreens at about the same cost. It's suggested that anyone over 60 should get one...but the cost is so ridiculous. Yes, I've heard that it's very painful Maybe if the cost was more affordable more people would get it. It's said that if you've HAD chickenpox or the vaccine for it you would be susceptible to shingles. Sheeeesh! |
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| Purple Haze | Aug 16 2010, 09:57 AM Post #4 |
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when I contracted shingles (years ago), the only solution was medication (acyclovir, or related medication) unless your Mom has a compromised immune system, or the shingles appear near her eyes, (could cause blindness), I wouldn't bother with a vaccine, IMO |
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| Extra Olives | Aug 16 2010, 11:48 AM Post #5 |
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Try calling the Wayne county Dept. of Health. They have several offices in the area and may offer the shingles vaccine for a better price. |
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| Vanna White | Aug 16 2010, 11:53 AM Post #6 |
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Here is the patient info sheet from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-shingles.pdf Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus stays in your body forever and can cause shingles many years down the road. I would get the vaccine for sure...shingles can be miserable! |
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| Ava | Aug 16 2010, 01:36 PM Post #7 |
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So what? Who cares?
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Found this about the cost: Shingles vaccine is limited by cost and coverage http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/06/shingles-vaccine-limited-cost-coverage.html by Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD Good health is only affordable—for the majority of the population—if it is covered by insurance. An excellent case in point is the vaccine for shingles (herpes zoster). Shingles is the revisiting of the chicken pox virus. The virus lives in the body since the first episode of shingles as a child, and then flares up during later adulthood to give shingles. Shingles is rarely life-threatening, but it is immensely painful and debilitating, and not very amenable to treatment. Most patients end up suffering intense pain and can have complications that last for months. Shingles will attack up to 1/3 of the population. So doctors and patients alike were delighted when a shingles vaccine was approved in 2006. It prevents many cases of shingles, and significantly decreases pain in the others. It is safe enough and effective enough to be recommended by the CDC as a standard vaccine for adults 60 and older. It is now one of components of preventive medicine, taking its place alongside colonoscopy, mammograms, flu shots and pneumonia vaccines. Except there is a problem: cost and coverage. The vaccine costs about $200 and most insurances do not cover it. (For comparison, seasonal flu shots cost about $20). An article in the Annals of Internal Medicine recently found that less than 10% of people who were eligible for the shingles vaccine received it. The major barrier—no surprise—was that it wasn’t covered by insurance. This highlights the issue of how medical care is determined by insurance companies (both private and Medicare), rather than by medical recommendations and scientific data. Of course there are financial limits on what our system can afford. However, it seems that primary care interventions should get priority. Primary care is the first (and often the only) line of defense for most people’s health. This is something that is surely ripe for reform. Danielle Ofri is writer and practicing internist at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital who blogs at Medicine In Translation. She is the editor-in-chief of the Bellevue Literary Review. Her newest book is Medicine in Translation: Journeys with my Patients. |
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| n73pm | Aug 16 2010, 11:10 PM Post #8 |
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Thanks all for your replies. Very helpful and insightful. I will call the Wayne County Dept. of Health to see if they can offer any help also. So because it's fairly new is maybe the reason for the extremely high cost, I would think. I would welcome anyone else also to offer info to this topic. I've spoken with others and most have not heard of this so the more people read of this the more will be informed. Thank you again. P.S. I may bump this up a couple of times if I see it sinking to the bottom so it stays in view. Hope you all don't mind.
Edited by n73pm, Aug 16 2010, 11:12 PM.
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| Purple Haze | Aug 17 2010, 08:36 AM Post #9 |
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you are a caring child to your parent! |
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| patriotfootball | Aug 17 2010, 09:29 PM Post #10 |
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My parents both received the shot, which was not covered by their insurance. I think they paid between 200-250. They said it was worth it as they watched their parents get shingles. Maybe having all the kids contribute to the cost as part of a gift would help alleviate the financial concern. My dad and his siblings paid for health insurance for my grandma in lieu of bday, mother's day and Christmas gifts. I'd get it if I was in the age bracket. The chicken pox sucked, shingles have got to be a heck of a lot worse! |
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