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

Health care company One Medical charged administration fees to some people who received COVID-19 vaccines in Washington, DC, according to projects reviewed by The Verge. The company manages the COVID-19 vaccination site at the DC Sports and Entertainment Arena. People vaccinated at this location were also asked to sign up for a test account with One Medical to receive the vaccines.

A doctor said The Verge in a statement that informs that an error in the billing system generated billing, that the impacted patients “are being warned” and that they should disregard the billing. “We are monitoring daily to ensure that no new invoices come out,” said One Medical.

There is not supposed to be a charge associated with the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vaccine providers can be reimbursed by insurance companies or federal programs for the cost of administering the vaccine, but the CDC’s “Frequently Asked Questions” page says they cannot charge patients the administration fee directly. The DC Department of Health did not respond to a publication request for comment.

Chris Driver, who lives in Northeast DC, says he was accused by One Medical of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. He provided his insurance information when he signed up for the first dose, but was 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 asking why he was accused. The company responded that it would remove the charge. Two weeks later, the first charge was still listed in your account and the second dose fee was added.

The charges appear inconsistent. The driver’s wife was also vaccinated on the One Medical website, but he says she hasn’t received the bill. But another person who received the first dose of the vaccine on the One Medical website was charged $ 40 by One Medical, according to a project reviewed by The Verge. That person – who wished to remain anonymous to discuss personal health information – did not provide insurance details when she was vaccinated.

Health officials across the country are working to improve vaccine equity by removing barriers to registration, such as complex websites or the perception that there is a charge associated with the vaccine. It is a major problem in Washington, DC, where wealthier areas have much higher vaccination rates than poorer areas and communities of color.

“Although I can pay a random $ 55 medical bill, if necessary, I know that this is not always the case for many people in the city,” Driver said in a direct message on Twitter. Millions of people say they will not be vaccinated because they are concerned about costs, according to a US Census survey – although vaccines are free. “The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the United States, regardless of their immigration status or health insurance,” says the CDC website.

People who are shot in other states also have to pay bills. A clinic in the Houston, Texas area charged people $ 30 for each dose of the vaccine, 13 investigates found. The Texas Department of Health Services said 13 investigates that providers should not charge a fee to people.

One Medical, which was supported by Alphabet’s venture capital group, GV, provides primary concierge service in more than a dozen cities (including Washington, DC) for an annual fee of $ 199. Some states have given the company doses of vaccine to administer. One NPR an investigation in February found that it was giving injections to people who were not eligible in California and Washington state. These states stopped giving vaccines to One Medical after receiving complaints.

Lucy Caldwell, a technology executive, says The Verge she canceled her association with One Medical after a family member was charged with the COVID-19 vaccine on her website in Washington, DC. In an e-mail response to her complaint, a representative told her that the bills would go to patients “by default” if they did not provide insurance information. The representative said that the charges will be dropped if the company is notified and that “dozens” of people have had this problem.

People vaccinated on the One Medical website were also asked to sign up for an association test from their health service. “It sounded like a red flag to me, because I couldn’t believe the city was asking people to sign up for a health care service to get the vaccine,” said Driver. “But I did it because I wanted to shoot.” The free trial subscription did not ask for billing information and said that the service would not be automatically renewed.

A doctor said The Verge who needed the information to create a medical record for people vaccinated at his location.

Privacy watchdog groups have been concerned that private companies are using the COVID-19 vaccine administration process to collect personal data from potential customers. Pharmacies like Walgreens require people to create an online account to sign up for a vaccine appointment. Consumer rights organizations have asked attorneys general for the Democratic state to investigate how companies are using this data.

“We don’t want people who want to be vaccinated – and, frankly, protect themselves and their loved ones – to be harnessed in any way,” said Andrew Crawford, a lawyer at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Political.