Doctors in California complain health plans don't fully reimburse them for the cost of vaccinations. A bill in the state assembly would rectify that situation. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
California law requires insurance companies to cover all of the recommended vaccinations for children. But doctors say insurers don't cover all of their costs of providing vaccines.
Stuart Cohen is a pediatrician and president of the San Diego County Medical Society . He says there are additional expenses besides the purchase price.
"The storage, the handling, the insurance, the refrigeration, the staff time to prepare the vaccine, plus the interest on the money that you pay for the 200-thousand dollars of vaccine in your fridge," Cohen points out.
A bill in the state assembly would require insurers to fully reimburse doctors. The California Medical Association says the issue is one of their top priorities this year.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
