Melanie M.

Melanie M.

Community Member

from Let’s Talk Cost 2012

in What’s Your Idea?

July 11, 2012

Shingles Vaccination

Why not cover the shingles vaccination for people 55 years of age and older instead of waiting til 65 years or older. This will vaccinate people at risk and there fore offset cost should (more and more are getting shingles daily) they in fact have shingles and the cost associated with treatment.

1 comment

Comments

sort by:
Let's Talk Cost

Let's Talk Cost commented on July 13, 2012

Community Admin

Thanks Melanie for sharing your question. Vaccinations are an important preventive health measure and do help to rein in medical costs as you point out. When the shingles vaccine was first FDA approved in 2006, it was only approved for individuals 60 and older. BCBSNC follows the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that this vaccine be given at 60 years and older. We encourage our members to work with their doctors to determine the best decision, and we hope this background information helps. Please continue to share your thoughts and ideas with us.