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Question

Do I have to pay to vaccinate my child for COVID?

Yvonne A. Maldonado, MD, FAAP

Answer

No, the vaccines are free for everyone who is eligible. That includes children 6 months and older and adults as well. Anybody can get vaccinated for free, regardless of their immigration status and regardless of whether you have insurance or not.

Everyone — including kids age 6 months and up — can get the COVID-19 vaccine for free regardless of insurance or immigration status.

You do not have to bring in any special immigration documents to get the vaccine. Some people are afraid that if they get the COVID-19 vaccine, it could be used against them. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not be used against you in your process to seek immigration or seek another immigration status.


Watch out for scams

Nobody should ever ask you to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccination providers cannot:

  • Charge you for a vaccine.

  • Charge you directly for any administration fees, copays or coinsurance.

  • Deny vaccination to anyone who does not have health insurance coverage, is underinsured, or is out of network.

  • Charge an office visit or other fee to you or your child (the recipient) if the only service provided is a COVID-19 vaccination.

It is okay for your child to receive other health care services—like a well visit and other vaccinations, for example—at the same time that will be billed as appropriate. You should not be required to receive additional services to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

What if my child already recovered from COVID-19?

The virus has changed and now highly contagious variants are spreading. The vaccines can protect your child from other variants. There is no way to know if a person has developed the ability to avoid getting infected again.

Remember

Many pediatricians are providing the vaccine to children. We welcome families to come to us with your questions and we are happy to go over any concerns you have. That's something that we do as pediatricians. We answer a lot of important questions for families about COVID-19 or anything. Because we know that COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective public health intervention to keep all children and adults safe and healthy.

More information

Yvonne A. Maldonado, MD, FAAP

Yvonne (Bonnie) Maldonado, MD, FAAP, is Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity and the Taube Endowed Professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases; Professor of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology and Population Health; Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine and Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control and Attending Physician at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University.​

Last Updated
8/10/2022
Source
American Academy of Pediatrics (Copyright © 2021)
The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
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