Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Guest column:

For seniors, getting all the vaccines is important

Flu Shot

David Goldman / AP

Nurse Nicole Simpson prepares a flu shot at the Salvation Army in Atlanta, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018.

As a senior, good health is never far from my thoughts. I stay active, eat healthy, and do all I can to stay as healthy as possible, but we all know that older adults and individuals with chronic conditions are at a higher risk of acquiring diseases and having adverse health effects from such diseases. So what more can we as seniors do? Get vaccinated — and I’m not just talking about the COVID-19 vaccination that is dominating the news. I’m talking about all of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended vaccinations for seniors.

Unlike traditional prescriptions, vaccinations prevent diseases. So while we would think in turn that seniors would be diligent in obtaining vaccinations for vaccine-preventable diseases, many are not. One of the leading causes for this is the out-of-pocket costs associated with said vaccines. Currently, while some of the recommended senior vaccines are free of charge under Medicare Part B, those seniors who fall under Medicare Part D often have an out-of-pocket cost associated with getting the shots.

Vaccinations such as the flu and pneumococcal are covered free of charge under Medicare Part B. Shingles, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines require out-of-pocket cost for seniors covered by Medicare D. These costs have deterred many from obtaining such vaccinations, which are vital to protecting and preserving the health and economic well-being of older adults, the chronically ill and entire communities.

Thankfully, bipartisan legislation was introduced in Congress to fix this problem. The Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act would make all CDC-recommended vaccines free of charge whether they fall under Part B or Part D, thus eliminating the financial barrier keeping many seniors from receiving needed vaccinations. And this is not a small number of seniors affected. Currently, 45 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare Part D.

And although the savings to these individual seniors would result in better health, quality of life and financial well-being, the savings to the U.S. health care system as a whole cannot be overlooked either. The United States spends roughly $26.5 billion annually treating those age 50 and older with the flu, pneumococcal disease, shingles and whooping cough, according to a 2013 study. All are vaccine-preventable diseases. Protecting seniors could substantially cut these costs by reducing hospital stays, expensive treatments, medications and physician visits.

I urge our members of Congress, and fervently hope that others will join me in this, to vote for the Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act.

Editor's note: Barbara Altman, who at the time this column was submitted was the vice chair of the Nevada Silver-haired Forum, died days before the column was published. The Sun was not notified about her death until after the column appeared.