Vero Lopez was excited about getting the new Covid vaccine. She’s cautious about the virus, still carrying a mask around and avoiding indoor dining. So Ms. Lopez, 52, contacted her health care provider, Kaiser Permanente, as soon as she found out the shots were approved last week. She couldn’t get the vaccine through them yet, but a CVS drugstore near her home in Los Angeles did have an appointment. After another call to confirm her insurer would reimburse her, she booked it.
Days later, she got a text from CVS: Her appointment had been canceled.
More than a week after new Covid vaccines were approved and recommended for all Americans aged 6 months and older, some are having trouble getting the shots. Insurance companies are denying coverage, with some blaming the difficulties on billing codes. Pharmacies are canceling some appointments because the drugs haven’t arrived. And because the government is no longer paying for everyone’s vaccine, headaches around in- and out-of-network coverage are adding to the confusion.
This is the first commercial Covid vaccine rollout since the start of the pandemic, marking the beginning of a newly privatized era for the drugs. Millions of doses have been shipped as hospitalizations rise. But, as with the earlierCovid vaccines, actually getting shots in arms has proved tricky.
“We’ve heard these stories, and we’ve contacted the insurers,” said Xavier Becerra, the U.S. health and human services secretary, at a press event on Wednesday, where he received his own updated vaccine. He stressed that anyone with Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance should have the shot covered without a co-payment, and that anyone without insurance could request a free shot at pharmacies participating in the Bridge Access Program. “We’ve contacted the pharmacists, and we’re working with them to make sure everyone understands how this works,” Mr. Becerra said.