The vaccine hailed as a major breakthrough in preventing a virus that can cause cervical cancer has now arrived at area Safeway pharmacies and two of the area’s largest clinic groups.
But with the retail cost of the three-dose vaccination hitting $510, the wait could be months for low-income and uninsured girls and young women.
“We want to eliminate (cervical cancer) for all, not just those who have insurance coverage,” said Susan Crosby, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Women In Government, a national bipartisan group.
In June, a federal advisory committee recommended routine vaccinations of 11- and 12-year-old girls against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease. The vaccine protects against strains of the disease that can cause cervical cancer, which kills an estimated 3,700 women a year.
Girls as young as 9 could get the shots at the discretion of a physician, the recommendation said. Women 13 to 26 years of age also could benefit from the vaccine, called Gardasil, even if they have been sexually active, it added.
Yet to provide the shot now, without help from the state, the nonprofit Community Health Center of Snohomish County would have to come up with an estimated $300,000 to vaccinate its 9- to 11-year-old patients.
“We don’t have that kind of money at the moment,” said Ken Green, executive director. It could be up to a year before his clinic is supplied through traditional federal and state supply channels, where the vaccine can be obtained more cheaply.
Although such delays can be typical with new, often costly vaccines, the delay with this shot will likely be perceived more acutely “because of all the enthusiasm over what a breakthrough it is,” said Michele Perrin, a manager in the state Department of Health’s immunization program.
“During the delay, it is easier for people who can afford to pay for it to get the vaccine,” she said. “Ideally, we want to make sure it’s available for everybody. It’s got huge potential.”
Among those who won’t have to wait to get the shot are members of the region’s major health plans, Regence BlueShield and Premera Blue Cross.
Both announced they would cover the vaccine for its patients, although individual benefits vary.
The shot also is now available at area Safeway pharmacies. The cost of the three required doses is $510, and insurance companies can be billed, said David Williams, regional pharmacy manager.
Anyone who wants the shot needs to request it in advance. The vaccine usually can be delivered to stores the next day, he said.
The Everett Clinic has received an initial shipment of 200 doses of the vaccine. Patients need to check with their insurance company and see what their coverage and co-payment requirements are, said Dana Cooper, director of purchasing.
Providence Physician Group expects to get doses of the vaccine within two weeks, said Dr. Earl Beegle, chief medical officer.
The price for the shots is still being discussed by both clinic groups.
Until the shot is added to the state’s childhood vaccine program, Medicaid and uninsured patients would have to pay for the shot out of pocket, Beegle said.
“It’s not the same urgency as in the 1950s when polio was rampant and you had to get (vaccine) out quickly,” he said.
In Washington, the state supplies clinics with recommended childhood vaccines. For any new vaccine there’s a nine- to 12-month gap before that supply becomes available, said Dr. Carolyn Coyne, a medical consultant with the state Department of Social and Health Services.
The state’s cost of providing new vaccines to Washington children often hits $3 million, she said.
So far, discussion has focused on providing the shot to 11- and 12-year-olds, she said. “We haven’t yet talked about whether we’ll cover adults,” she said.
Part of the wait for the vaccine is because of the steps required for getting new vaccinations added to the national list of recommended shots for children.
First, the recommendations on the human papillomavirus vaccine must be accepted by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Curtis Allen, agency spokesman.
If accepted, it would formally become part of the national Vaccines for Children Program. Next, federal officials and the manufacturer negotiate a purchase price for it to be distributed to the states, a step that typically takes six months.
Women In Government, a national organization of state legislators, is working to ensure funding so that people of all economic groups who want the vaccine can get it, Crosby said.
Nationally, up to 13 percent of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 years old are uninsured, she said, a barrier to getting vaccinated.
In Washington, a request for the state money necessary to provide the shots to young Washington girls “will come through normal budget requests,” said Perrin, the Department of Health’s immunization manager.
State Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County, a member of Women in Government, said she’s optimistic of its prospects in the Legislature.
“It seems to me it would have a good chance,” she said.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@ heraldnet.com.
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