Community: Leslie's Blog

[Leslie]

If you are a Medicare patient (who has Part D) and you go to a specialized Travel Clinic for Zostavax (shingles vaccine) you will be charged upwards of $300 up front for the vax and then you may submit the bill to Medicare or whatever, afterwards. Not a favorite option of most patients, no doubt.

However, if you go to Kmart, Walgreens or Osco, the pharmacist will administer the vaccine and charge Medicare for the vax and the you will pay a grand total of the $30-$40 - which I guess is the administration fee.

Of note, Costco and Walgreens also sell the vaccine but I don't think they administer them. According to an infectious disease expert at Northwestern, Zostavax is a very fragile vaccine and if not properly refrigerated will die and be rendered useless, so NOT recommended to purchase and then bring it to the clinic for your doc to administer.

If you are unsure about your Medicare coverage status the pharmacist I spoke to at Osco said to just call them and they can run it through the computer to see what the total cost would be (ie if you are not sure if you have Part D or if you are at the "donut", etc- apparently it is treated as a drug by Medicare, not as a vax.)

Clear as mud, no?
Leslie