An Uphill Climb: Vaccination Prices Hiking to the Top

Rising prices in vaccination have led doctors to cut back on the immunizations they provide. CNN Money reports that “[i]t's not clear exactly how widespread vaccine cutbacks are, but in a recent industry survey, 5% of pediatricians and 11% of physicians indicated that they're seriously considering no longer offering immunizations. Currently there are about 350,000 pediatricians and family physicians in the U.S.” What has caused doctors to cut back on the immunizations they offer? As CNN Money puts it, “... if it costs $120 to buy a particular vaccine, insurance would pay back $120. But [...] there are a lot more expenses that go into providing a vaccine, including the refrigeration, electricity and insurance required to store the shots. On average, doctors keep $100,000 to $150,000 worth of vaccines on hand each year.” Thus, in total, “the AAP estimates that the actual cost to providers to acquire vaccines could be 17% to 28% above the price of the vaccine itself.” Various factors account for this rise in price, including, but not limited to, the high cost of producing these vaccines, patents, and the monopoly created in the vaccination market. In a recent article published by the New York Times, they report that “the average cost to fully vaccinate a child with private insurance to the age of 18 [has risen] to $2,192 from $100, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Therefore, families face an uphill battle in finding someone to vaccinate their children. Many of these families have sought help from public health clinics, at times lying about their insurance status, in order to receive immunizations. Practitioners also suffer the consequences of rising immunization costs. A New York Times reporter claims that “a local obstetrician recently told her in tears that she cannot afford to give pregnant patients a shot recommended to boost the mother’s immunity to whooping cough, protection that is transferred to her unborn baby for the first months of after birth.” Most alarming from this story is that “Nationally less than 10 percent of pregnant women are getting this recommended shot” and “[l]ast year, two babies, each a month old, died of whooping cough [...] in San Antonio.” 

For more information, you can visit the New York Times Article and CNN Money Article. Additionally, the New York Times has started Paying Till it Hurts a Facebook Page you can visit to get the conversation going on the rising costs of vaccines. 

Juan Sebastian Roa 
Head of Communications and Marketing 

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