Eau Claire (WQOW)- Next month families with health insurance plans that cover the cost of vaccinations will no longer be able to get vaccinated through Eau Claire's health department.
"It's certainly going to affect a number of families and members in the community," says Richard Thoune, Eau Claire Health Department.
Beginning October first families will have to schedule appointments with their regular health care provider if their health insurance covers immunizations.
"Primarily we've had other vaccines supplied in the past for the under-insured, for certain insured groups and for outbreak control and adult vaccination. That's the piece that's really changing come October 1," says Thoune. "For children who will continue to be on BadgerCare or Medicaid or they maybe Alaskan natives or American Indians they will continue to have access to vaccines through the Vaccines for Children program right here at the Health Department as they always have."
This policy is part of the Affordable Care Act.
"The fundamental reason for the shift is being driven by a couple of things: number one there is an extreme amount of pressure on the federal budget and I think the general plan under the Affordable Care Act to assure coverage to all persons within the United States so that no one is quote uninsured anymore is helping to also push in a direction of implementing policies," says Thoune.
The exceptions would be for the flu vaccine, which the health department will continue to provide no matter what your health coverage is, and also the whooping cough vaccination.
"That's basically a bit of an exception that's already been made for the existing on-going outbreak. We don't want people to not be able to get vaccinated due to policy changes when we're in the middle of an outbreak and also we are in the middle of providing the influenza vaccine. Let's get people taken care of, we transition into next year and hopefully it will become clearer for everybody concerned," says Thoune.
