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May 11, 2005 at 08:00 PM
Reimbursement woes may be hurting the U.S. immunization system.[@@]
A team of researchers led by Walter Orenstein reviews some of the financial considerations affecting the system in an article in the May-June issue of Health Affairs.
The editors of Health Affairs, a major health care finance and delivery journal, have devoted most of the 894-page issue to the U.S. and world immunization systems.
Weaknesses in the U.S. system include shortages of many vaccines, safety concerns and high prices, Orenstein’s team writes.
Although Medicaid, Medicare and other state and federal programs pay for many vaccinations, especially for children, private insurers also play a role, both for children and for adults, the researchers write.
About 57% of vaccines recommended for children were purchased through a federal contract, but private insurers pay for some vaccines for children, and private insurers reimburse adults for most adult vaccinations, according to Orenstein’s team.
