The recent pandemic taught us all the importance of vaccination. Now that we are more aware, I’ve noticed that people are now searching for an HMO that provides vaccine as part of its benefit. What choices do we have? Let’s find out.
ER Vaccines
Remember the emergency room benefits of most health cards? There is one type that you can get for free as part of the ER package, anti-rabies. You see, animal bite is unexpected and it may induce broken skin and bleeding. Both of these conditions are considered emergencies.
Now, health cards can cover the fees for the room, doctor’s charges and of course the vaccine itself.
Regular Immunization
This is where it gets tricky. I have not found an HMO that exclusively give its members all the critical vaccines available in the country. While some of them cover a certain type of injection, they are limited only for critical care situations.
Passive immunization is usually not covered by health plans.
List of HMOs
Now that you’ve reached this far, you need to know which companies can give you coverage for any types of vaccines considered as essential.
Etiqa has a clause saying coverage for the administration of the vaccine and unlimited consultation with an accredited doctor. It is not yet clear whether the cost of the shot itself is covered. We assume that it is not.
The ER Care Booster 100 for example has an exciting benefit for animal bite. If you will look at the fine print, it includes coverage for the first dose of anti-rabies (or maybe anti-tetanus) at least for the first dosage.
Has an anti-rabies benefit provided to members at the nearby primary care clinic only if the wound is NOT bleeding. If bleeding, you need to go to a partner animal bite center for the service.
Covers flu vaccine for employees. The process involves 100% reimbursement and you can go to any medical center and get the shot. Only the member is covered and not the deponents.
What is the Best For Me?
As always, one of the most important factors in choosing an HMO is the budget. Someday, we will all have to undergo medical treatment and a health card would be a handy support.
Coverage
The funny thing is your health card will only cover the administration (injection process) and not the product itself. A doctor or nurse may do this but the actual price of the vaccine is not included in most plans of HMO. However, there are exceptions.
If you are exclusively looking for one that covers vaccines, you may be disappointed. There are only a limited number of them that covers it. Still, the option we provided here can be your starting point.
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