One doctor has charged some patients a fee for the COVID-19 vaccine

Healthcare company One Medical has charged administration fees to some people receiving COVID-19 vaccines in Washington, DC, according to the accounts provided by The edge. The company owns the COVID-19 vaccination site at DC’s Entertainment and Sports Arena. People vaccinated on this site are also asked to sign up for a trial account with One Medical to receive the shots.

A medical report The edge in a statement that an error in the billing system led to the charges, which had an effect on patients “being notified” and that they should disregard the bill. “We monitor daily to ensure no new invoices go out,” One Medical said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no presumption that there is a cost to the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination providers can reimburse the cost of administering the vaccine through insurance companies or federal programs, but the CDC’s Frequently Asked Questions page states that they cannot charge the administration fee directly from patients. The DC Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment by publication.

Chris Driver, who lives in Northeast DC, says he was charged by One Medical for both doses of Pfizer vaccine. He provided his insurance information when he signed up for the first dose, but he still charged a total of $ 56.94 – $ 16.94 for the first dose, and $ 40 for the second dose. After receiving the bill for the first dose, Driver tweeted at One Medical on March 18 and asked why he was being charged. The company replied that he would remove the complaint. More than two weeks later, the first charge was still listed on his account, and the second dose was added.

The charges appear to be inconsistent. The driver’s wife was also vaccinated on the One Medical website, but he says she did not receive any bill. But another person who received a first dose of the vaccine on the One Medical website was charged $ 40 by One Medical, according to a bill revised by The edge. The person – who wished to remain anonymous to discuss personal health information – did not provide his insurance information when given the chance.

Health officials across the country are working to improve vaccine improvement by removing barriers to reporting such as complex websites or the perception that there is a cost involved in the shot. This is a major problem in Washington, DC, where affluent areas have much higher vaccination rates than poorer areas and color communities.

“While I can afford a random $ 55 medical bill when it comes down to it, I know this is not always the case for many people in the city,” Driver said in a direct message on Twitter. According to a US census, millions of people say they will not be vaccinated, even though the vaccines are free. “The federal government provides the vaccine free of charge to all people in the United States, regardless of their immigration or health insurance status,” the CDC website says.

People who get shot in other states also sit with bills. One clinic in Houston, Texas, charged people $ 30 for each dose of vaccination. 13 Investigations found. The Texas Department of State Health Services said 13 Investigations that suppliers should not charge people a fee.

One Medical, backed by Alphabet’s venture capital group, GV, offers concierge care in more than a dozen cities (including Washington, DC) for an annual fee of $ 199. A handful of states have given the vaccine doses to cover to serve. ‘A NPR investigation in February found that it gives shots to people who are not eligible in the state of California and Washington. These countries stopped giving vaccines to One Medical after receiving complaints.

Technical executive Lucy Caldwell says The edge she canceled her One Medical membership after a family member was charged with the COVID-19 vaccine at his Washington, DC site. In an email response to her complaint, a representative informed her that bills are sent “by default” to patients if they do not provide insurance information. The representative said that charges would be removed if the company was notified and that ‘dozens’ of people had the problem.

People vaccinated on the One Medical website were also asked to register their membership of its health service. “It sounded like a red flag to me because I could not believe the city was asking people to sign up for a health care enrollment service to get the vaccine,” Driver said. “But I did it because I wanted to get the dang shot.” The free trial did not ask for billing information, and it said the service would not renew automatically.

A medical report The edge that he needs the information to compile a patient card for people who are vaccinated on the site.

Privacy watchdog groups were concerned about private companies using the COVID-19 vaccine administration process to collect personal data about potential customers. Pharmacies like Walgreens require people to set up an online account to sign up for a vaccine appointment. Consumer rights organizations have asked Democratic Attorneys General to investigate how the companies use the data.

“We do not want to see people in their desire to be vaccinated – and honestly protect themselves and their loved ones – exploited in any way,” said Andrew Crawford, an advocate for the Center for Democracy and Technology. Politico.