KPLU Local News
(2010-01-12)
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For 15 years Washington had one of the simplest child immunization systems in the nation. Nearly every pediatrician and family doctor offered the shots because the state took care of supplying the vaccines. Despite easy access, Washington has had one of the worst vaccination rates in the country.
Now, the state subsidy is ending, due to budget shortfalls, and doctors and insurers are wrangling over a new system.
"In our state, it wasn't an access problem. So, it can only get worse, if we add trouble getting vaccines into the mix," says Dr. Beth Harvey, a pediatrician in Olympia and president of the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Without a state purchasing program, many pediatricians say they wouldn't risk the $50,000 a month, or more, it costs to buy the drugs up front, refrigerate them, and then hope to get reimbursed. State funding runs out in May.
Harvey worries many more parents might skip the vaccines if they're hard to get, and she's seen what can happen if babies skip their shots. One baby came in for a four-month checkup with septic shock and ended up with meningitis, after the parents refused vaccination. The baby almost died.
Most county health departments are no longer setup to do immunizations. The solution under negotiation is to have insurance companies pay into a fund based on how many children they insure. That's how its done in New Hampshire. The fund would keep the state vaccine supply program alive, and save money by buying in bulk through the federal government.
However, not all insurance companies have agreed. Premera Blue Cross says it prefers to cover its own members directly, not join a state-wide purchasing group, because there's no guarantee every company would pay its fair share.
The Washington State Board of Health will discuss the vaccine supply dilemma at its meeting on Wednesday, January 13th.
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