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How can a patient avoid being directly billed for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine?

How can a patient avoid being directly billed for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine?

COVID-19 vaccines are free to all individuals living in the US. No patient should be billed directly for fees associated with administering COVID-19 vaccines. Patients may be asked for their insurance information at the time they complete their paperwork to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. During this time, patients may confirm that their provider will be billing their insurance company or the federal government (Medicare, Medicaid, the HRSA CAF or HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program) for any associated vaccine administration fee.

Patients should note that currently, all providers and facilities participating in the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program (which currently includes any providers who may be administering vaccine to them) :

  • must administer COVID-19 Vaccine regardless of the vaccine recipient’s ability to pay COVID-19 vaccine administration fees or insurance coverage status;
  • may seek appropriate reimbursement from a program or plan that covers COVID-19 vaccine administration fees for the vaccine recipient; and
  • may not seek any reimbursement, including through balance billing, from the vaccine recipient.

If a patient was previously billed for COVID-19 vaccine administration fees and the provider then received reimbursement from either the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program or the HRSA COVID-19 Coverage Assistance Fund program, that provider must refund amounts paid by the patient.

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