I had an appointment today to get the shingles vaccine, but first spent over an hour on the phone with my insurance companies to find out how much is covered.
Well! I’m supposed to come up with $170 I don’t have, and that’s just for the part Medicare doesn’t cover. I could use a GoodRx coupon and it would “only” be $155, but that’s still too much. (Mind you, I’d have to pay it all over again in six months for the second shot.)
And why doesn’t Medicare cover this heavily advertised product? Monopoly. No price competition.
I’ve had shingles. I know how much it hurts. But I can’t afford this, and it’s fucking infuriating.
Hi Susie,
I don’t know what coverage you have but I’m with Kaiser Permanente coverage. It’s a HMO Medicare type “C” plan. I pay an extra $50 bucks a month above the standard Medicare amount for lower copays.
But, during my last visit I had a $10 copay and got the shingles and flu shots with no extra charge.
I also get medicine for normal Middle Aged White Guy (MAWG) issues, you know, blood pressure, cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, at no cost. I do have to pay for a urology issue, but it’s only about $30 every 90 days.
I’m not sure if Kaiser Permanente covers Philly, but it’s something you may want to look into, or another type C plan.
Good Luck!
Thanks, Dave. I get screwed because I have plain old Medicare with a supplement instead of Medicare Advantage– great for when you have cancer, not so great for shingles vaccine.