Yes, the shingles vaccine will be free for Medicare recipients in 2023, if they have purchased optional Part D prescription drug coverage from a private insurance company.
Many Medicare Advantage plans offered by private companies also include Part D coverage.
The shingles vaccine isn’t guaranteed to be free for Medicare recipients right now. The cost can depend on your plan, the type of vaccine you get and the place you receive the shot, according to insurance company Humana.
Most Medicare plans offering prescription drug coverage still require a copayment for the vaccine that can vary widely in cost based on the plan you have. People with Medicare drug coverage may also have to pay the full price for a shingles vaccine if they haven’t met their deductible for the year, Humana explains.
But that will change beginning January 2023 because of the Inflation Reduction Act.
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One of those provisions requires insurance companies that offer Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage to fully cover the cost of adult vaccines recommended by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) starting Jan. 1, 2023. That includes the shingles vaccine.
This means people with Medicare Part D will “pay nothing out-of-pocket” for the shingles vaccine and others recommended by ACIP, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says in a fact sheet about the Inflation Reduction Act.
Congress finally eliminates Part D vaccine cost sharing: Medicare coverage is still broken
The Inflation Reduction Act leaves intact a peculiar split in Medicare vaccine coverage that discourages physicians from offering certain vaccines, former Moderna Vice President Richard Hughes argues.
