Insurance confusion stops women from HPV vaccine
Lia Gormsen
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News
"Girls are hesitant, I think, because of the cost; it is a factor that weighs on their decision," says Lenore Meyers, a health educator at Towson University. Health insurance companies have been re-viewing the vaccine since its approval by the FDA in June 2006 and slowly incor-porating its coverage into their plans. According to Merck, 94 per-cent of private health insurers are covering Gardasil in over 100 insurance plans.
At Loyola, a bright, colorful 21-page pamphlet is on display in the Health Clinic. Produced by Merck, it presents startling statistics on the link between HPV and cervical cancer.
The pamphlet is part of a campaign meant to spread awareness among women about the prevalence of HPV, which, according to the pamphlet, affected "9.2 million young adults, 15-24" in 2000.
"You'd tell her she has lipstick on her teeth. So why wouldn't you tell her about a virus that can cause cancer?" reads the front cover.
In all 21 pages, though, neither the brochure, nor any of the accompanying information sheets, provide any indication of the cost of the vaccine or how women can get the cost reimbursed by insurance companies. And when these women speak with nurses at the clinic, information on payment and insurance can be murky.
Jeanne Lombardi, director of Loyola's clinic, says she tells students that it depends on their insurance plans but believes "many are not covering it." This she attributes to the fact that the vaccine falls under preventative care.
Loyola began offering the vaccine in October, and as of early February only four women had received a shot. Lombardi is happy to report that now over 100 have started the series of shots.
On larger campuses, like Hopkins and Towson, the vaccine has been better received, but information about insurance coverage is still failing to reach students. Dr. Alain Joffe, director of Johns Hopkins' student clinic, estimates that 10 to 20 students per week are re-ceiving their first vaccine shot.
"They have been flying off the shelves," says Joffe, who explains that his students are paying out of pocket for the shots. The vaccine is not covered on Hopkins' health care plan, though he promises it will be next year.
Meyers has been placing notices in Towson's e-mail bulletin, the Daily Digest, and promoting the vaccine when she speaks in classes and at on-campus seminars about the clinics' reproductive health care. She reports that in the first month the vaccine was offered, 23 women received their first shot at the clinic.
At the University of Maryland, only 63 of approximately 18,000 women began the vaccination process in the first four months Gardasil was offered, according to the Alli Matson, coordinator of sexual health programs.
Information on Gardasil will be available at the Health Fair on Thursday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in McGuire Hall.
At Loyola, a bright, colorful 21-page pamphlet is on display in the Health Clinic. Produced by Merck, it presents startling statistics on the link between HPV and cervical cancer.
The pamphlet is part of a campaign meant to spread awareness among women about the prevalence of HPV, which, according to the pamphlet, affected "9.2 million young adults, 15-24" in 2000.
"You'd tell her she has lipstick on her teeth. So why wouldn't you tell her about a virus that can cause cancer?" reads the front cover.
In all 21 pages, though, neither the brochure, nor any of the accompanying information sheets, provide any indication of the cost of the vaccine or how women can get the cost reimbursed by insurance companies. And when these women speak with nurses at the clinic, information on payment and insurance can be murky.
Jeanne Lombardi, director of Loyola's clinic, says she tells students that it depends on their insurance plans but believes "many are not covering it." This she attributes to the fact that the vaccine falls under preventative care.
Loyola began offering the vaccine in October, and as of early February only four women had received a shot. Lombardi is happy to report that now over 100 have started the series of shots.
On larger campuses, like Hopkins and Towson, the vaccine has been better received, but information about insurance coverage is still failing to reach students. Dr. Alain Joffe, director of Johns Hopkins' student clinic, estimates that 10 to 20 students per week are re-ceiving their first vaccine shot.
"They have been flying off the shelves," says Joffe, who explains that his students are paying out of pocket for the shots. The vaccine is not covered on Hopkins' health care plan, though he promises it will be next year.
Meyers has been placing notices in Towson's e-mail bulletin, the Daily Digest, and promoting the vaccine when she speaks in classes and at on-campus seminars about the clinics' reproductive health care. She reports that in the first month the vaccine was offered, 23 women received their first shot at the clinic.
At the University of Maryland, only 63 of approximately 18,000 women began the vaccination process in the first four months Gardasil was offered, according to the Alli Matson, coordinator of sexual health programs.
Information on Gardasil will be available at the Health Fair on Thursday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in McGuire Hall.
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