Last week, as the updated Covid vaccines rolled out to pharmacies across the U.S., some people eager to get their dose were met with unexpected insurance issues — even though the shot is supposed to be covered.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services said the issue has been "largely, if not completely" resolved.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra met earlier in the day with leading insurance companies, including CVS Health, UnitedHealth Group, Anthem, and Cigna, to review the progress of the Biden administration’s fall Covid vaccine campaign, agency spokesperson Jeff Nesbit told NBC News in an email.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
During the meeting, the insurance companies made clear that they are "fully covering the new vaccine shots," according to a rundown of the meeting shared by HHS. They described the problem of some people being denied coverage as "systemic technical issues."
One insurer, Aetna, said going forward, it would treat the new shot as a seasonal vaccine, meaning anywhere someone gets their annual flu shot, they can get a Covid vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the updated Covid vaccines earlier this month.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
