We decided that with the amount of time the grownups in our family spend at school and in the company of children, and our prior experience with the flu in Chapel Hill, that we’d get the family immunized for the flu this year. Since this is the first year that we’re on the high deductible health plan (HDHP) with a health savings account (HSA), the results of our experience are worth noting.
Our insurer offers no-cost flu vaccinations for members. Last year we were with an insurer that didn’t offer flu vaccines. So we went to the pediatricians office for the kids, and paid about $17 each, in network. I think that we just pay for the administration of the vaccine, and the vaccine is paid for by the health department (local/state/federal funds?), since we didn’t have any cost for the vaccine itself. For my wife and I, we went to the grocery store and paid $27 each. This year we went to the doctor’s office flu clinic for adults, and again we have not paid anything for this benefit.
So while we had a copay plan before, our shots cost us more on that plan ($17 x 3 + $27 x 2 = $105). I guess the lesson here is that different insurers and different plans can pay for some things and not others. It turns out for us, in this case, paid less in premiums, and less in actual expenses for the same vaccinations.
Jonathan Pletzke is a consumer expert on health insurance and author of the health insurance book Get a Good Deal on Your Health Insurance Without Getting Ripped-Off, available online and at bookstores nationally. Additional details can be found at the consumers health insurance book and resources website www.BestHealthInsuranceBook.com. Copyright 2007-2008 Aji Publishing.
Tags: chapel hill · flu shot · HDHP · health savings account · high deductible health plan · HSA · vaccinationNo Comments
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