Fewer Vaccines Available For Vulnerable Children

Due to limited federal and state funding for vaccines, underinsured children in the United States are increasingly at risk for not getting needed vaccines, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study, led by Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston Assistant Professor Grace Lee, found that many underinsured children are unable to receive publicly purchased vaccines in either the private or public sector. The authors state, "The most commonly cited barriers to implementation in underinsured children were lack of sufficient federal and state funding to purchase vaccines." "Childhood immunization is ranked as one of the most important preventive health services we can offer," says Dr. Lee, who is a member of the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at the medical school and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. "Due to the increased cost of recently recommended vaccines and the lack of available funding, many states have been forced to adopt more restrictive policies for the provision of publicly purchased vaccines. Underinsured children, who used to be able to rely on public health clinics as a safety net in the past, are now at risk of not getting immunized for serious childhood illnesses."

Childhood vaccines are funded by a patchwork of public and private sources. While some private health insurance plans cover recommended vaccines for children, an increasing number of plans require patients to pay out of pocket for many of these vaccines. However, children who are either uninsured or publicly insured through Medicaid can receive vaccines through the federal entitlement program Vaccines for Children Program (VFC).

According to Dr. Lee, many survey participants voiced concern about their inability to provide immunizations to underinsured children. In fact, since 2004, 10 states have revised their policies in order to restrict underinsured children's access to select new vaccines. Lee warns that the situation is creating significant ethical dilemmas for public health clinicians who are being forced to turn these children away or ask families to pay for needed vaccinations. "Despite the ability of vaccines to prevent illness and death, our current public safety net for these services is under considerable strain," says Lee. "Strategies are needed to enhance immunization benefits for underinsured children in private health plans and to support the public sector safety net in order to ensure the protection of this vulnerable group of children."

Release link :

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/79122.php