The state has announced a sensible policy on immunizations based on the fact that there isn't an unlimited pile of money available to pay for them -- starting now, it will no longer allow county health departments to provide low-cost immunizations to children who have insurance. But the panic is already settling in. This is a move that "some fear will lead to fewer children receiving critical vaccinations."
But the policy could have an unintended consequence. Some insurance policies have a high deductible, leading to bills in the hundreds of dollars to get vaccinations in a doctor's office.
A pre-kindergarten visit, for instance, can run about $600 for vaccines. By contrast, county health departments typically charge only a nominal fee for shots.
Dr. Mary McAteer, a Carmel pediatrician, has seen high deductibles drive more private-pay patients to the health department. Some families realize that their insurance will only cover one shot; they go to the health department for the others.
The health department was a great resource for those people that were underinsured," McAteer said. "When they don't get to go there, it's going to be a huge impact. They're going to have to make some big decisions."
Whatever happened to the notion that government aid should be reserved for the neediest, with the rest of us paying our own way? Silly question, I know. It's so much easier just to keep handing out the tax-funded freebies than to ask people to make those "big decisions."
