Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia announced Monday that it will expand its
flu vaccine coverage to include the novel H1N1 virus.
The insurer, which has 3 million members in Georgia, will cover clinicians’ fees
and doctor visits for patients receiving the swine flu vaccine. Health officials
hope the vaccine will be available in October.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices recommended that these groups be first to get the
vaccine: health care and emergency workers; pregnant women; healthy people
between 6 months and 24 years old; people who live with or care for children
younger than 6 months old; and people ages 25 through 64 who are at higher risk
because of chronic health disorders.
Those groups total about 159 million people nationwide.
Cheryl Monkhouse, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, said
the vast majority of policyholders have vaccine coverage.
If policyholders are unsure of their coverage, she suggested that members call
the toll-free number on their insurance cards.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield also will continue to cover seasonal flu vaccines.
There have been 43,771 lab-identified cases of the H1N1 virus, 302 deaths and
more than 5,000 hospitalizations in the United States.
Although not all patients are being tested for swine flu, health officials
estimate more than 1 million people were infected with swine flu between April
and June.
A vaccine will not be available before most schools begin in metro Atlanta,
which has caused concern among some parents.
Unlike the seasonal flu, swine flu hits young children, teens and young adults
particularly hard.
