Public-private initiative restores state’s vaccine funding

A public-private initiative has restored full funding to a Washington state program that has for years purchased vaccine for the state’s children.

Last year, the program, due to state budget cuts, had lost funding for the purchase of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for children with private insurance.

And this month the cuts would have extended to all vaccines for privately insured children.

However, under the new initiative private health plans have agreed to pay into the program for each vaccine that the children they cover receive, restoring funding for all vaccines including the HPV vaccine.

The payments will provide about $35 million, closing the funding gap and restoring the program to its full funding level of $105 million, said Michele Roberts, a spokesperson for CHILD Profile, a state immunization promotion program.

“It’s a very large sum, and a really significant partnership,” Roberts said.

The state’s purchasing program has helped lower costs and simplify the supply chain, helping to assure universal access to vaccines for the state’s children.

The loss of funding would have forced physicians to purchase and manage a separate vaccine supply for children with private insurance, complicating the process.

While the new arrangement restores funding to the state purchasing program, physicians will now have to keep track of the vaccines they administer to children with private insurance so the health plans can be assessed for the vaccinations.

To help administer the new system, the state has created the Washington Vaccine Association, which will manage the payments from the health plans to the state. Fred Potter will be the executive director of the new association.

To learn more:

• Visit the Washington Vaccine Association’s website: www.wavaccine.org

• Visit WithinReach, a nonprofit that promotes family health: www.withinreachwa.org

• Call your local health agency (for a listing go here.)

• Or call the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 for help finding a health care provider or an immunization clinic.

Tags: HPV, Immunizations, Vaccines

Category: Child & Youth Health, News, Vaccines