The next Covid-19 booster shot should now be available from your local pharmacy, health clinic or doctor’s office. Medicare pays for it in full, whether you are enrolled in Traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, the booster shot should be covered in full from network pharmacies, but perhaps not if you go out of network for the booster. Should you get the booster shot?
The Food and Drug Administration just approved the booster as safe and effective. The booster shot protects people from the current Covid 19 variants in the US. The Centers for Disease Control panel of advisors believes that everyone over six months old should get it. Some argue that if only older adults are vaccinated, it will mean 100,000 additional hospitalizations.
Fewer than one in five Americans got the Covid-19 booster that was approved in 2022. But, the data show that people who got the booster had a much lower likelihood of getting very sick or dying.
Many people are getting Covid-19 now and more people are being hospitalized for it than earlier in the summer. More still are expected to be hospitalized this fall and winter.
The list price of the booster is $130. But Medicare pays for it under Part B. Medicaid also covers it. And, so does commercial insurance. If you are uninsured, the federal government’s Bridge Access Program covers the vaccine at Federally Qualified Health Centers and at Walgreens, CVS and some other pharmacies.
While the booster shot might only keep people from getting Covid for a few months, it still reduces the likelihood of being hospitalized and dying for a much longer period of time.
The booster was tested on monkeys and mice, not people. But, around the world, billions of people have gotten the booster safely.
Should you get the booster shot? You probably should not get the booster shot if you’ve had Covid in the last two months. Otherwise, many recommend you get the booster shot soon. If you are planning to travel over the winter holidays, you might wait until early November to get the booster. You then increase the likelihood that the vaccine protects you from infection during your travels.
Some doctors question the value of the booster for people who have had Covid-19 and have been vaccinated one or more times. They believe that this alone should keep them from getting seriously ill from Covid-19, even if they get Covid.
Should you get the Covid booster, the RSV vaccine and the flu shot at the same time? It might be smart to space them out.
Free Covid tests: The federal government is once again offering free Covid tests beginning September 25. Click here to get four free tests sent to your home.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- What happens when a Medicare Advantage plan endangers people’s health?
- Medicare names 10 drugs subject to price negotiation
- This Fall, talk to your doctor about getting an RSV vaccine
- If you’re billed for a Medicare procedure, you likely should not pay
- Government can easily cut $500 billion in Medicare Advantage waste
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