Drugstore customers seeking flu shots this winter may be paying too much because of bad information at the pharmacy counter, according to a new study by watchdog group Change to Win Retail Initiatives (CtW). The group surveyed 50 Walgreens locations in Los Angeles and New York City and found that the nation’s largest private provider of flu shots gave inaccurate information about insurance coverage 48 percent of the time. These errors could be causing customers to unnecessarily pay out of pocket for covered vaccinations or causing some shoppers to not get a shot at all.
Walgreens is the largest private provider of flu shots in the country, and flu shots are important for public health. On average there are 200,000 hospitalizations for flu-related complications each year, and out-of-pocket costs are one common reason people give for not getting vaccinated.
“It is truly shocking that Walgreens cannot consistently give accurate information about flu shot coverage,” said Nell Geiser, Associate Director of Change to Win Retail Initiatives. “Flu shots are important for keeping ourselves and our families healthy, and this study shows that it’s also important for consumers to be educated about their insurance coverage to avoid unnecessary out-of-pocket expenses when getting vaccinated.”