SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Before you take your children to the Regional West Immunization Clinic or doctor’s office for vaccinations, check your insurance coverage.

If you have insurance that covers the cost of vaccinations, even if it includes a high deductible or co-pay, your insurance company will be billed for your child’s vaccinations.

Before scheduling vaccinations, it’s important to know how your children’s immunizations are covered under your policy and wellness benefits. If you have not met your deductible, you may be required to pay out of pocket for your children’s vaccinations.

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that take effect October 1 will limit Nebraska’s Vaccines for Children (VFC) program to children 18 and under, who are Medicaid-enrolled, uninsured, American Indian or Alaska Native.

VFC vaccines will no longer be available to fully-insured individuals.

Physicians’ clinics throughout the state and Regional West Immunization Clinic will be required by the new federal policy to bill individual insurance companies for vaccinations for those with insurance coverage.

The CDC defines fully-insured as: “Anyone with insurance that covers the cost of vaccine, even if the insurance includes a high deductible or co-pay, or if a claim for the cost of the vaccine and its administration would be denied for payment by the insurance carrier because the plan’s deductible had not been met.”

To comply with the new federal mandate, the Regional West Immunization Clinic is currently developing a system to bill insurance companies for immunizations provided at the clinic when the vaccination by donation policy ends September 30.

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,800 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, Regional West offers care that spans more than 30 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by The Joint Commission and is one of three Level II Trauma Centers in Nebraska.