How to Get a Free Shingles Vaccine

Does Medicare Pay for the Shingles Vaccine Shot?

By Nick Sprangers, pharmacy intern at Network Health
3/27/2023

Who doesn’t like getting something for free? When one of the barriers to staying healthy is the cost of care, getting health care for free can be a major benefit.

Depending on your health insurance plan, certain health care services may be available to you at no cost, but many may require at least a copayment. This certainly used to be the case for the shingles vaccine for those with a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Beginning in 2023, however, that has changed.

Due to the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed by Congress in 2022, out-of-pocket costs for certain vaccinations were removed. The shingles vaccine is one such immunization that is now available at no-cost to certain people with Medicare. Those with only Original Medicare (Parts A and B) won’t benefit from this, as Original Medicare does not include the shingles vaccine. Those with a separate Part D plan or a Part C Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage, however, will be able to receive the shingles vaccine at no cost.

[Learn more: Vaccines Aren’t Just for Kids. These Are Four Vaccines You Should Get as an Adult.]

Should You Get the Free Shingles Vaccine?

If you are eligible to get the shingles vaccine for free, we absolutely recommend taking advantage of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults aged 50 years or older receive the shingles vaccine.

Shingrix is the name of the shingles vaccine recommended by the CDC. If you are in the age group mentioned above and don’t have a weakened immune system, you should get two doses of the vaccine that are two to six months apart.  

How Likely Are You to Get Shingles?

Shingles may be more common than you realize, and it’s one of the reasons why you should seriously consider receiving the vaccine. If you have ever had chickenpox, then you can also get shingles. According to the CDC, one out of every three people in the United States will get shingles at some point in their life, with one million people getting shingles every year.

The varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, remains in your body and can reactivate to cause shingles. Unlike chickenpox, shingles is not contagious, though someone infected with shingles can spread chickenpox to someone who has not yet had the virus.

While many often think of the painful rash that can occur from shingles, the complications from shingles can be even more widespread and long-lasting. Long-term nerve pain can exist several months to years after the shingles rash goes away. Other serious symptoms can also develop, including pneumonia, eye complications, hearing problems and brain inflammation.

Are All Vaccines Covered Through the Inflation Reduction Act?

The shingles vaccine isn’t the only one impacted by the Inflation Reduction Act. Any vaccine that is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is now available to anyone with a Medicare Part D plan or Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage at no cost. This includes tetanus-diphtheria-whopping cough, hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines.

The enhanced coverage for the shingles vaccine, however, is perhaps the most significant. Medicare Part D enrollees had been paying $77 on average, and upwards of nearly $200, to receive the shingles vaccination.

If you have yet to receive a shingles vaccine and are 50 years old or older, now is the time to get it. Even if you have had shingles in the past, receiving the vaccine can still prevent reoccurrence.

If you have a Network Health plan, you can discuss your vaccine-related questions by calling the number on the back of your member I.D. card.

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