Vaccines cost less without health insurance

While vaccines might cost less without health insurance, the cost of other health services can be deflected with the help of great affordable health insurance. The cost of obtaining quality health insurance can seem like a lot, but the benefits of insurance should outweigh the costs. It’s easy now to find cheap health insurance if you know where to look.

Due to the job switch, the family is temporarily without health insurance. (Fortunately, we should have some by the end of the month). While Marathon Girl and I have been working to find some coverage, Steven's four month checkup came due. Paying for the checkup wasn't an issue but with the routine vaccines Steven needed, Marathon Girl worried that the doctor's visit was going to be somewhat expensive.

I told Marathon Girl that since we didn't have insurance, the vaccines would probably cost less. Though I wasn't 100 percent sure, I remembered a story a coworker at my last place of employment told me. A few years ago he was in a similar situation (no health insurance and his daughter needed some shots). When he told the doctor he didn't have health insurance, the doctor told him that the vaccines would cost less.

Marathon Girl called me after the appointment to tell me I was right.. Shots without health insurance are a lot less expensive. A shot that would be billed to health insurance as $50 cost us only $11. Another would have cost $60 if we had insurance only cost us $10.

I know the health insurance industry is messed up and is in dire need of some market-related reforms. But the fact that shots cost that much less without insurance is a bit perplexing. I understand there are some overhead costs when dealing with insurance companies but I would expect the cost to be a couple of dollars here and there, not $39 or so per vaccine.

If anyone can provide some insight as to why there's such a cost discrepancy, leave a comment or send me an email.