Cape May Court House – Freeholder Gerald Thornton reminds residents that an additional special senior clinic for residents 65 years and older WHO HAVE MEDICARE PART B as the primary payer will be held at the Department of Health located at 6 Moore Road (building #17) in Cape May Court House (exit 11 off of the Garden State Parkway) on Tuesday, October 26 from 9:30 a.m. to Noon.
While most seniors have Medicare Part B, not everyone has it as a primary payer. If you have no other medical insurance, traditional Medicare Part B is your primary. If you have a Replacement/Advantage plan (like Medicare Aetna, Medicare Horizon, etc.), this plan is your primary, not traditional Medicare. If you have a supplemental plan (like AARP, Horizon NJ Direct, Bankers, Blue Cross/Blue Shield), traditional Medicare Part B is your primary payer.
For persons who have Medicare Part B as the primary payer, both the standard-dose and the new high-dose flu vaccine are available at no cost at the special senior clinics. “The high-dose vaccine is the first vaccine developed especially for seniors,” said Thomas. “It has the same ingredients as the standard-dose vaccine, but in a stronger formulation, which helps the body produce more antibodies to fight off the flu.”
The Department can only bill Medicare Part B if it is the primary payer. Replacement/Advantage plans cannot be directly billed under this program. Since the high-dose vaccine will only be offered at these special senior clinics (not at the drive-through clinic), people who don’t have Medicare Part B as their primary payer who want the high-dose vaccine can make a cash payment of $40. A receipt will be provided that can be submitted to the Replacement/Advantage plan for reimbursement. People with these insurance plans should contact them in advance to ask if the high-dose flu vaccine is covered. Seniors without Medicare Part B insurance can receive a free standard-dose flu shot at the drive-through clinic.
The Department of Health has also set a clinic date for children and their families on Wednesday, November 3rd from 2 to 6 p.m. Children 6 months through 18 years of age and their families can get a free flu shot at the Department of Health, located at 6 Moore Road (building #17) in Cape May Court House (exit 11 off of the Garden State Parkway). Health Officer Kevin Thomas reminds residents that all children 6 months through 5 years of age who attend a licensed daycare or preschool are required to get a flu shot each year by December 31st or they will be excluded from daycare/preschool. “Apart from the State mandate for daycare and preschool,” added Thomas, “the CDC now recommends that everyone over 6 months get an annual flu shot.”
For all flu clinics, persons with an allergy to eggs, latex, or Thimerosal or persons who have been told by a doctor that they have had Guillain-Barre syndrome need a prescription from their physician to receive a flu vaccine.
Clinic dates, locations and times are posted at cmchealth.net and on the County’s flu hotline, 463-6581. Information on the new flu vaccine for seniors can also be found on the Department’s website: www.cmchealth.net.
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