Purpose: To investigate accessing insurance company vaccine reimbursement and coverage information.
Method: A telephone survey was conducted from June 2006 to August 2006. Participating organizations were insurance companies in the states of New York, Oregon, and Texas. The main outcome measure was the obstacles encountered while trying to obtain information on vaccine costs and reimbursement.
Results: Obstacles identified included the predominance of automated answering systems and the necessity of leaving voicemail messages, company nonresponse, and refusal to participate.
Conclusions: Obstacles result in difficulty obtaining vaccine reimbursement and coverage information by phone. Greater transparency is necessary to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions about immunizations.