Does Aetna Cover the Shingles Vaccine?
- Aetna Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans and Part D plans cover the shingles vaccine, as do all Medicare drug plans. Learn more about Aetna Medicare drug coverage and how much a shingles vaccine may cost.
Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans like those sold by Aetna cover the shingles vaccine. Read below for everything you need to know about Aetna Medicare plans and coverage of the shingles vaccine.
Does Aetna Pay for the Shingles Vaccine?
A 2023 law requires all Medicare Part D drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage to include most commercially available vaccines on their list of covered drugs. The list of vaccines that Medicare drug plans must cover are those that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and includes the shingles vaccine.
The law was part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that aimed to curb rising drug costs.
Aetna Shingles Vaccine Cost
Included in the law is a provision that the recommended vaccines be covered in full with no application of a deductible or copayment. That means your shingles vaccine should not cost you anything with an Aetna Medicare Part D plan or Aetna Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan provided all the terms and conditions of the plan are met.
What is the Shingles Vaccine?
Shingrix has been in use since 2006 is the only FDA-approved shingles vaccine currently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A second shingles vaccine, Zostavax, was introduced in 2017 but discontinued in 2020.
How Often Should You Get the Shingles Vaccine?
The CDC recommends that healthy adults ages 50 and over receive two doses of a shingles vaccine in intervals between two and six months. Immunity from shingles remains strong for at least seven years after vaccination.
What Vaccines Does Aetna Cover?
Aetna Medicare Part D and MA-PD plans must cover at least the 26 vaccines recommended by ACIP.
These vaccines include:
- Anthrax
- Cholera
- COVID-19
- Dengue
- DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB
- DTaP/Tdap/TD
- Ebola
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Hib
- HPV
- Influenza
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella
- MMRV
- Meningococcal
- Orthopoxviruses (Smallpox and Monkeypox)
- Pneumococcal
- Polio
- Rabies
- Rotavirus
- RSV
- Typhoid
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Yellow Fever
- Zoster (Shingles)
Aetna Medicare plans may offer coverage for additional vaccines. Check with a licensed insurance agent for more information about Aetna vaccine coverage.
Aetna Vaccine Reimbursement
Aetna Medicare plan members typically do not have to submit their own claim for a vaccine reimbursement. But in the event that you do, Aetna beneficiaries have a few different options for doing so.
Aetna Medicare plan members may submit claims through a vendor, an electronic coordination of benefits or through the company’s partnership with Availity.
How to Find Aetna Medicare Plans That Cover the Shingles Vaccine
You can find Aetna Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans by working with a licensed insurance agent. An agent can compile your plan options, help you compare benefits and costs and even help you enroll right over the phone.
