• Flu & Pneumonia Coverage
• VFC - Vaccine For Children

Mollen Immunization Clinics works with the Arizona Immunization Program Office (AIPO) works to reach the Year 2010 goal of immunizing 90% of Arizona's children by age two with the recommended vaccines. Mollen Immunization Clinics participates in the Arizona Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) to provide the administration of vaccines to the following children:

• Medicaid enrolled (AHCCCS)
• Uninsured
• Native American/Alaskan Native
• Some underinsured

Children through 18 years of age who meet at least one of the following criteria are eligible to receive VFC vaccine: Medicaid eligible: A child who is eligible for the Medicaid program. (For the purposes of the VFC program, the terms "Medicaid-eligible" and "Medicaid-enrolled" are equivalent and refer to children who have health insurance covered by a state Medicaid program)

Uninsured: A child who has no health insurance coverage American Indian or Alaska Native: As defined by the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)

Underinsured: A child who has commercial (private) health insurance but the coverage does not include vaccines, a child whose insurance covers only selected vaccines (VFC-eligible for non-covered vaccines only), or a child whose insurance caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount. Once that coverage amount is reached, the child is categorized as underinsured. Underinsured children are eligible to receive VFC vaccine only through a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) (Mollen Immunization Clinics, designated office at 8328 E Hartford Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255). Children whose health insurance covers the cost of vaccinations are not eligible for VFC vaccines, even when a claim for the cost of the vaccine and its administration would be denied for payment by the insurance carrier because the plan's deductible had not been met.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), known as Title XXI, enables states to expand health insurance coverage for uninsured children. Title XXI children enrolled in a separate State Children Health Insurance Program are not VFC-eligible because these children are considered insured. Title XXI children enrolled in a Medicaid-expansion SCHIP program are Medicaid eligible and entitled to VFC program benefits. Some states have implemented their SCHIP programs as a combination plan with some children becoming Medicaid eligible through an expansion plan and some children enrolled in a separate SCHIP. The Medicaid-eligible children are entitled to VFC program benefits, and the children enrolled in the separate SCHIP program are considered insured and are not entitled to VFC program benefits.

If your child meets one of the VFC eligibility criteria listed above, the vaccine must always be provided free of charge.

Free of charge means just that. The vaccines have already been paid for with federal tax dollars. This means that no one can charge a fee for the vaccine itself.

However, each state immunization provider has been granted (by law) the ability to charge what is called an "administrative fee." An administrative fee is similar to a patient's co-pay, in that it helps providers offset their costs of doing business.

The amount of the administrative fee differs from state to state, based on a regional scale determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Consult the official list, Approved Vaccines and Biologicals for the VFC Program. The diseases that these vaccines prevent include:

• Diphtheria
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Influenza
• Measles
• Meningococcal disease
• Mumps
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Pneumococcal disease
• Polio
• Rotavirus
• Rubella (German measles)
• Tetanus (lockjaw)
• Varicella (chickenpox)

VFC vaccines can be obtained at Mollen Immunization Clinics, located at 8328 E Hartford Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85255