Health care workers are being vaccinated now, but members of the public are expected to receive their shots in the coming weeks and months. How much will the shot cost? Nothing. Sort of.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, doses purchased with taxpayer dollars will be given to Americans at no cost. However, vaccination providers — your doctor, the local pharmacy, the hospital — can charge an administration fee.
It’s unclear how much that fee might be or whether patients will actually be charged, since providers can get the fee reimbursed by the patient’s insurance or, for those who are uninsured, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund.
“As we get closer to more widespread public vaccination and as we have a better understanding of how the incoming Biden administration plans to fund public vaccination, we will be able to provide more information on the implications for Maine people,” Robert Long, spokesman for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said.
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