Federal and State Officials Advise COVID-19 Vaccine Providers in Wisconsin that Individuals Seeking Vaccinations Cannot be Charged
FROM THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin; Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General – Chicago Region (HHS-OIG); and Karen Timberlake, Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, advise the public that they should not be asked to pay any costs to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and warn COVID-19 vaccination providers not to seek payment from individual COVID-19 vaccine recipients.
COVID-19 vaccination providers participating in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Program are required to sign a provider agreement to receive and dispense vaccines. Among the requirements in the agreement, providers must not sell or seek reimbursement for the COVID-19 vaccine or any related supplies and must administer the vaccine regardless of the recipient’s ability to pay. While providers may seek appropriate reimbursement from a public benefit program or private insurance program or plan that covers COVID-19 vaccine administration fees, providers may not seek any reimbursement from the vaccine recipient.