Struggling to get Pre-Exposure Rabies Vaccine

[MintyMoose]

Hello everyone, I'm from northern NJ and I have been running into a lot of trouble getting the rabies pre-exposure vaccine covered by insurance. I have Medicaid (because I am poor) and have been running into obstacles at every turn. I've tried my primary doctor, my specialist, Walgreens, international vaccine places, etc., and every time my insurance is denied. With all the pilling costs from starting vet school, it's really hard to afford this. I've heard that I can potentially go to an emergency room and get the vaccines there, does anyone know if that will work or does anyone have any other advice/tips? I have 5 more weeks in NJ before I move :/

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[SkiOtter]

running into a lot of trouble getting the rabies pre-exposure vaccine covered by insurance

Unfortunately most insurance companies won’t cover the pre-exposure vaccines 😞 do you need them by the first day of class? I’d potentially contact your school and ask if the school insurance covers it (if you’re switching to school insurance) or if you can get them once you have loan money or bill them to your student account where loans would cover it.

 

[Rainheart]

In my experience, no insurance covers pre-exposure, even if it is a requirement for your program or job. Most of our class paid out of pocket... it used to be 3 injections, now thankfully only 2. Each injection cost around $300. Do you have to get the vaccine prior to starting? We had someone come to our school to give us all vaccines during the program. Otherwise, I'd reach out to the ER or local health department. Good luck.

 

[KCgophervet]

In my experience, no insurance covers pre-exposure, even if it is a requirement for your program or job. Most of our class paid out of pocket... it used to be 3 injections, now thankfully only 2. Each injection cost around $300. Do you have to get the vaccine prior to starting? We had someone come to our school to give us all vaccines during the program. Otherwise, I'd reach out to the ER or local health department. Good luck.

I mean just to counterpoint, UMN school insurance covered it and they set up vaccine clinics at school to run all the first years through who needed it. I didn't pay a dime for the series (outside the cost of the insurance). I also didn't need to pay for the titer check 3rd year, where they also set up a clinic for all the students to get their blood drawn. OP, I would check with your school

 

[SkiOtter]

I mean just to counterpoint, UMN school insurance covered it and they set up vaccine clinics at school to run all the first years through who needed it. I didn't pay a dime for the series (outside the cost of the insurance). I also didn't need to pay for the titer check 3rd year, where they also set up a clinic for all the students to get their blood drawn. OP, I would check with your school

My insurance also covered it back in 2018. I don’t remember if I was on BCBS or Priority Health at that point but I think PH? 😂
I don’t know what voodoo magic Walgreens worked but I was definitely anticipating paying full price out of pocket because my insurance had initially said they wouldn’t cover it even after meeting my deductible

 

[flotus]

My Medicaid covered mine in KY. I didn’t ask for pre-approval. I just went in and got it. I said I needed it for my job/school and then it went through Medicaid no problem. I did it an infectious disease specialist because they had that vaccine.

 

[SnowJ]

My insurance covered

My insurance also covered it back in 2018. I don’t remember if I was on BCBS or Priority Health at that point but I think PH? 😂
I don’t know what voodoo magic Walgreens worked but I was definitely anticipating paying full price out of pocket because my insurance had initially said they wouldn’t cover it even after meeting my deductible

Blue Cross Blue Shield covered mine in either 2017/2018. I know the doctor put it in a certain way to help it be covered but I'm not sure what that was. The insurance was my mother's, and since she's a doctor at a hospital network it may have been a tier more likely to cover stuff like that, so mileage may vary

 

[miniaturedove]

To update this, I just called my insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield) and they will cover it 100% if it's billed as a preventative. The codes they said fall under preventative are CPT codes 90675 and 90471 and diagnosis Z23. I have a doctors appointment soon and I'll report back with what they say. I hope this helps anyone who has this insurance! (Insurance always confuses me since plans vary so much. Make sure you call to confirm, but I hope this is a good starting point!)

 

[a_vetter_future]

Also want to jump in here that I am also covered by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and was fully covered for the pre-exposure vaccines back in 2021 in CT.

 

[miniaturedove]

Also want to jump in here that I am also covered by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and was fully covered for the pre-exposure vaccines back in 2021 in CT.

Did your PCP order this for you with pre-auth or did you go to a travel clinic? Trying to gather more information since insurance can be tricky and I want to make sure I do this correctly.

 

[a_vetter_future]

Did your PCP order this for you with pre-auth or did you go to a travel clinic? Trying to gather more information since insurance can be tricky and I want to make sure I do this correctly.

I called my insurance company and got transferred to someone who handles claims. She gave me a code to provide to my provider, like what happened with you. I ended up going to Uconn for my vaccine series. I had no problems.

 

[miniaturedove]

I called my insurance company and got transferred to someone who handles claims. She gave me a code to provide to my provider, like what happened with you. I ended up going to Uconn for my vaccine series. I had no problems.

Thank you!

 

[_rae_]

Another work around: I have BCBS which would not cover it at all, even as "preventative", BUT BCBS contracts with ExpressScripts for my pharmacy benefit who would fully cover it if it was given by a pharmacist at an in-network pharmacy. Didn't pay for school insurance, didn't pay a cent for the vaccine.

 

[MintyMoose]

To update this, I just called my insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield) and they will cover it 100% if it's billed as a preventative. The codes they said fall under preventative are CPT codes 90675 and 90471 and diagnosis Z23. I have a doctors appointment soon and I'll report back with what they say. I hope this helps anyone who has this insurance!

I don’t have BCBS but I called my insurance 5+ times and they said it would be approved but every single time I would go to get the shot they said insurance wouldn’t cover it. To work around this, I ended up going to the emergency room and getting 3 separate doses done there since my insurance always covers emergency visits