What’s the Buzz

In short—yes, the BuzzRx Prescription Discount Card can help you save money on vaccines, in addition to thousands of brand name and generic prescriptions. Please continue reading to learn which vaccines are recommended and how you can make vaccines more affordable. 

Why are vaccinations important?

You need different vaccinations at every stage of life, including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Immunizations protect you against common infections that can be potentially life-threatening. Chickenpox, measles, hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV), meningitis, and polio are just some diseases preventable with vaccines. 

Getting the appropriate shots can protect against illnesses that are easily preventable with vaccines but pose serious health risks to people who are not immunized. 

When traveling out of the country, you can be exposed to diseases like cholera or typhoid that you’re unlikely to encounter in the U.S. Travel vaccinations can protect you from falling seriously sick when abroad.

Yet, the out-of-pocket costs for vaccinations can be extremely high. For example, the hepatitis A vaccine, often required for travel to Asia, is a 2-shot series and costs $100 for each dose. 

Are vaccines free?

The federal government is providing COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots to every person in the U.S. free of charge, regardless of immigration status. In fact, your COVID vaccine card can get you a lot of free stuff, like store credit, free or discounted rides, free food, and even free beer. From Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to grocery stores, many companies have a promotion with freebies on showing proof with your vaccination card. Some, like Office Depot, are offering free lamination of vaccine cards.

Regarding other vaccines, besides the COVID 19 vaccine, most insurance plans cover all the recommended vaccines, so you can get the required immunization without any out-of-pocket cost. For example, Medicaid covers all recommended vaccines for children and some for adults. Depending on your plan, if your healthcare provider accepts Medicare, you may have a small copay for some immunizations. 

How can I save money on vaccinations?

Many programs like Vaccines for Children and those offered by health departments at local vaccination centers offer free vaccinations or low-cost vaccinations. 

People who do not have health insurance can save on the cost of vaccines with prescription savings cards like the BuzzRx card. A BuzzRx coupon code can make a big difference in making immunizations affordable. 

Here are some testimonials about how the BuzzRx card helped to bring down the cost of immunizations:

“The BuzzRx card is awesome! It covers a typhoid vaccine that no other card covers. Brought the price down from $60 to $52, and our customers that needed it were very happy.” 
-Zena, Pharmacy Employee

“A student needed a meningitis vaccine, currently priced at $179.99; after using the card, she saved $51.00. That’s Fantastic!” 
– T. Thompson, Pharmacy Employee 

What are the recommended vaccines for children?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following vaccinations in childhood:

1. Chickenpox
2. DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis)
3. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B
4. Hib disease
5. Influenza
6. MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
7. Pneumonia
8. Polio
9. Rotavirus
10. COVID-19 vaccine

These immunizations can be quite expensive if your family is underinsured or uninsured. For example, the Kinrix vaccine for rotavirus costs over $547, the Varivax vaccine for chickenpox is over $190, and the Prevnar 13 pneumonia vaccine is over $272 in out-of-pocket costs. 

A BuzzRx savings card can help you get discounts on cash prices and keep your child’s vaccination status up-to-date.

What are the recommended vaccines for teenagers?

The CDC recommends the following vaccinations for teens:

1. Human papillomavirus (HPV)
2. Influenza
3. Meningitis
4. Booster of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis every 10 years
5. COVID-19 vaccine

Teens going off to college may be required by their university to provide proof of meningitis vaccination. College students may also need to show they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before being allowed to live in dorms. 

The cost to access vaccinations for teenagers can be quite high for families that don’t have insurance. For example, the Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine costs over $308, and meningitis vaccines range in cost from $165 to $200+ if you purchase them out-of-pocket. A BuzzRx discount card can help you save big on these vaccines for teens.

What are the recommended vaccines for adults?

The CDC recommends the following shots for adults:

1. Influenza
2. MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) depending on age
3. Pneumonia
4. Shingles
5. TDP booster (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) every 10 years
6. COVID-19 vaccine

Out-of-pocket costs for these adult vaccines can run into hundreds of dollars. For example, the Shingrix vaccine for shingles is over $263, the Prevnar 13 vaccine for pneumonia is over $272, the M-M-R II for measles, mumps, and rubella is $120, and the Fluad influenza vaccine for people over 65 years of age is $112. 

If you need to get up to date on your immunizations or are due for a booster (additional dose or second dose), don’t forget to check out the discounts available with the BuzzRx card.

What travel vaccinations does the CDC recommend?

The required travel vaccinations depend on your destination. Currently, most countries only allow fully vaccinated individuals and ask to see your COVID 19 vaccine card. 

You should check the recommendations for travel vaccines on the CDC website for the countries you’ll be visiting. Getting professional medical advice several weeks before your scheduled travel about the recommended vaccinations is also important.

Travel vaccination is especially important because your risk of exposure to certain potentially life-threatening diseases is greatly increased when traveling to certain parts of the world. Also, showing proof of vaccination may be required on your return to the U.S. from certain countries, for example, yellow fever vaccination if you’ve traveled to parts of South America or Africa.

It’s a good idea to factor the cost of travel vaccines into the cost of your trip. You may be able to make savings on some travel vaccines with your BuzzRx card and free vaccine coupons. 

Wrapping Up

Getting a vaccine is not mandatory, but it can save your life and does not pose any health risk. The CDC recommended immunizations are vital to keep you and your family safe. They also protect those around you by creating community/herd immunity. In other words, vaccines help to reduce the number of potential carriers of an illness in the community so that germs cannot spread among the members of the community. 

This is especially important because some people with conditions like cancer, HIV/AIDS, type 1 diabetes, and more cannot be vaccinated and rely on vaccinated individuals and community immunity to ensure they don’t get sick. Vaccines for measles, polio, flu, or other rarer immunizations can prevent the need for more costly medications and treatments in the future.

Making that vaccine appointment, therefore, means you are less likely to get sick as an individual, family, and community. It really should not take a free doughnut, free mini cheesecake, or free ride. You have enough of your own incentives to get vaccinated.

So, don’t skimp and try to save money on your annual flu vaccine, and don’t forgo an expensive vaccination before international travel. Use the BuzzRx Drug Search Tool to find discounted prices on vaccines in your area. Simply enter the vaccine name and your zip code to find the lowest price at a pharmacy near you.

References:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html
2. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/adult.html
3. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list/