Summer is in full swing and many people are vacationing, so the last thing on their minds is immunizations. However, as students enter the countdown to back-to-school, the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department would like to remind the residents of the area of some new rules and regulations related to required immunizations for school and eligibility requirements for low-cost vaccines.
As most people who are planning to enter an institution of higher learning this fall probably already know, the bacterial meningitis vaccine, or MCV4, is required for most students. First time college students who are 18 years of age or younger and who do not have any insurance, have insurance that does not pay for the MCV4, or who are on Medicaid or CHIPS may qualify for the Texas Vaccines for Children program and can possibly receive the vaccine for $10 at the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department. Individuals can also check to see if the MCV4 is available through their primary care provider. Most schools are requiring that students have the MCV4 prior to registering for classes.
The Brownwood/Brown County Health Department does have a limited amount of private vaccines, which are available on a first come, first served basis. The prices of the available private vaccines are as follows:
MCV4 (bacterial meningitis)-$100
TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis)-$45
Hepatitis B (adults only)-$40
MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) (children and adults)-$60
Varicella (chickenpox) (children and adults)-$95
IPV (polio vaccine)-$40
DTaP (children only)-$45
Hepatitis A (children only)-$45
People who have private insurance must pay for the vaccine and will be given the necessary information and coding to file with their insurance for reimbursement.
BBCHD would like to remind parents of school-age children of the new eligibility requirements for the Texas Vaccines for Children program. The following children are eligible for the low-cost vaccine program:
1. The child is Medicaid eligible.
2. The child is enrolled in the CHIP insurance program.
3. The child is Alaskan Native or American Indian.
4. The child has no health insurance.
5. The child is underinsured:
- The child has private health insurance, but coverage does not include vaccines, or
- The child has private insurance which covers only selected vaccines (TVFC will provide only vaccines that are not covered by private insurance) or,
- The child has private insurance which caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount. Once that coverage amount is reached, the child is categorized as underinsured.
The BBCHD would like to encourage parents to not delay in obtaining the necessary vaccines for their children. Because of the new eligibility guidelines, parents of children who have private health insurance will most likely be referred to their private physician for the immunizations. In this case, parents may face increased waiting times in order to get appointments.
For eligible adults (19 years of age and older), the BBCHD offers the following vaccines on the TVFC Adult Safety Net program: TDaP, MMR, and Hepatitis B. To be eligible, adults must be uninsured. The cost of the ASN vaccines is $14 per shot.
The Brownwood/Brown County Health Department will be hosting walk-in back to school immunization clinics with extended hours from 8am-11:30am and 1pm-7pm on August 6 and 7, 2012. The health department will continue to have their regular walk-in clinic each Wednesday from 8am-11:30am and 1pm-4:30pm. Immunizations will be done on all other weekdays by appointment only. The health department is located at 510 E. Lee St. in Brownwood. For questions or appointments, please call the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department at 325-646-0554.
