Aug 8, 2024
Back to school shots: Free, safe and life-saving
Health plan partners with clinicians to address inequities and ensure vaccination is accessible to all kids
Safe, effective and free vaccinations are widely available for kids as the new school year approaches, and clinicians are seeking to make sure health inequities are addressed.
“Child vaccines help limit highly contagious, dangerous diseases,” said Dr. Mark Friedberg, a primary care physician who is head of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ performance measurement and improvement division.
These shots save lives and prevent disabilities that can be caused by viruses. We want to make sure they are accessible to absolutely everyone.
Dr. Mark Friedberg
Blue Cross covers vaccination for all members with no out-of-pocket charge, as do many other health plans. In Massachusetts, vaccines also are available for free for children who are uninsured.
Giving kids the recommended childhood shots protects them from more than a dozen serious diseases, including measles, polio and hepatitis, Friedberg noted.
“Some vaccines, like the one to prevent human papillomavirus, can even safeguard kids from developing certain types of cancer later in life,” he said. “And vaccines help ensure viruses can’t spread to babies too young to be vaccinated, or people who cannot receive vaccinations for medical reasons.”
Addressing inequities in care
Long-standing inequities have created racial disparities across many health measures in the U.S., and child vaccination is no exception.
For example, a 2023 report by the Centers for Disease Control National found vaccination rates were on average 2-21 percentage points higher among White children than Black, Latino, and Native American children across the U.S.
Blue Cross has found similar trends in analysis of its Massachusetts member data, Friedberg said, with vaccination rates for Black and Hispanic children under 2 years old lagging 10-20% behind White children.
The health plan is taking groundbreaking steps to work with providers to address these inequities in care, including new payment models that link financial incentives to improvements in health equity. The health plan also funded $25 million in grants to the state’s provider organizations, in addition to sharing comprehensive data on health disparities with health systems and creating a collaborative learning community to develop and test solutions.
"As clinicians and health plans, we can measure inequities, commit to understanding the roots of inequities, and act to eliminate inequities in vaccination rates". Friedberg said.
And parents can take action too.
“Talk to your child’s pediatrician about what shots they should get,” Friedberg said. “It’s one of the most important steps to help your kids have a healthy year.”
Learn about what life was like before vaccines, watch a video explaining how vaccines work, and find out why babies need so many shots in our In Depth section.