COVID-19 Vaccines Who will pay for the vaccine? This will depend on age, employment, and government-funded programs. According to the CDC, vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. However, vaccination providers will be able to charge an administration fee for giving the shot to someone. Vaccine providers can get this fee reimbursed by the patient’s public or private insurance company or, for uninsured patients, by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Provider Relief Fund. The vaccine for children (VFC) program will cover the vaccine for children. However, children will not be among the priority group for the first to be vaccinated. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act requires private insurance plans to cover COVID-19 vaccines within 15 days of an ACIP recommendation. Medicare will cover older adults, age 65 and older, and this group will be among the priority group to be vaccinated first. The CARES Act provides first-dollar coverage of licensed-COVID-19 vaccines under Medicare Part B, eliminating cost-sharing to Medicare beneficiaries for vaccination. Initial vaccine doses will be provided by the federal government with Medicare paying providers the vaccine administration fee. Resources: Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination Ensuring Equitable Access To COVID-19 Vaccines In The U.S.: Current System Challenges And Opportunities News & Knowledge All Curi recommendations are based on current CDC criteria at the time of publication. CDC guidance for SARS-CoV-2 infection may, or may not, be adopted by state and local health departments to respond to rapidly changing local circumstances. Providers should always check with their local health department to see if the CDC’s guidance on any given topic has been modified (particularly if more restrictive) from the CDC’s recommended guidelines. Follow this link https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/index.html for contact information to your state/local health department. If local recommendations vary from those of the CDC, and you are unsure what recommendations to follow, then it is safer to follow the more restrictive guidelines/recommendations.