I’m not sure whether discretionary yellow fever vaccines are just this expensive in the United States, if I just experienced a bit of a markup, or if I was totally taken for a ride.
In this post:
I made a yellow fever vaccine appointment with Passport Health
For quite some time I’ve been meaning to get the yellow fever vaccine. I believe I got the vaccine many years ago (when I was a kid), but I don’t have proof of it at this point.
Long story short, I want to review more African airlines, and many African countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination (and other countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination if arriving from a country where that’s a risk).
I have a potential trip in a few weeks where I’m considering a routing that might require yellow fever vaccination, so several days ago I made an appointment to finally get that done.
I searched online for somewhere near me where I could get a yellow fever vaccination, and Passport Health came up. This is a travel medicine company that claims to have 270+ locations around the United States. I briefly searched online about the company and didn’t find any red flags. Furthermore, the location I was going to mostly received very good reviews.
I booked the appointment over the New Year holiday, so their offices were closed at the time, but making an appointment online was easy. The website didn’t list the cost for any vaccines. My assumption was that the pricing would be in line with what other travel clinics charge, given that the company is large and seems to get at least somewhat good reviews.
Anyway, I just had my vaccination appointment this afternoon, and I was shocked by the price…
How much my yellow fever vaccine appointment cost
I visited Passport Health this afternoon. It was located inside a big office building, and as I walked into Passport Health, I immediately asked myself “how does this place make money?” This Passport Health location had a huge office with a single nurse working.
Well, I think I know how they make money — my appointment cost me a total of $483. This includes a $99 “office visit” fee (I received a $10 discount for completing my health form online), and $394 for the actual vaccine. The “office visit” is required to get a vaccine, and included sharing important information, like not drinking tap water in Africa (okay, got it).
When I was told the price I was totally shocked. I had searched online, and I saw prices all over the place, but there was a general range:
- Obviously these vaccines are much cheaper in Africa, which is fair enough (since it’s an essential health concern in some countries, rather than being for discretionary travel), and many airports will administer them for under $50
- I see one website suggesting that the average cost of a yellow fever vaccine in the United States is $170, while the Florida Department of Health seems to charge $221.22 for the vaccine
- For private clinics, it does seem that the admin fee is a standard thing that’s charged in addition to the vaccine cost, though it looks like Passport Health seems to have some of the highest vaccine costs
So I did get totally screwed here, right? Like, is this just toward the upper limit of pricing for the vaccine, or does this fit in the “highway robbery” camp?
Let me 100% acknowledge that I should have done my research in advance. I share this experience not because I’m proud of having overpaid for a vaccine, but because I hope others will learn from it and not make a similar mistake.
I’m sure some people can at least appreciate how this happened. I made the appointment over the holidays because I had a moment to catch my breath and get a few things off my “to do” list. It has been a busy week (life always feels busy when you have an infant), and then this morning I looked at my calendar and said “oh, I have that appointment today.”
Then my appointment had a cancelation fee, so it’s not like I could walk out at that point. And for that matter, purely in terms of valuing my time, I didn’t want to waste a couple of hours going through the whole process again (between driving and being in the office).
To be fair, I was in and out in no time, and the nurse working at the office was very nice.
If I did overpay so much, my only question is whether I should leave an online review? After the appointment I got a message asking me to rate my experience, so… I feel like I should do that? First I just wanted to make sure that I’m not off base here, because I don’t want to be unfair, given how nice the nurse was.
Bottom line
On the plus side, I finally got around to getting the yellow fever vaccine, which opens up a lot of exciting Africa travel for me. Unfortunately it cost me nearly $500, which is (I think) outrageous. It seems that you’ll pay an absolute minimum of $200 for this in the United States, but between the $394 vaccine and the $89 “service,” I ended up paying a lot more.
So, just how outrageous was this yellow fever vaccine pricing?
More mobile ads can fix this.
Does anyone have CPT code for yellow fever vaccine ?
Unfortunately, from what I've heard this is pretty standard. The prices have been outrageous. There used to be a shortage of the vaccines which may have been why they cost so much. I was in grad school and got it, and it was a bit less than that but similar I think. The year after me in grad school, they petitioned to ask the grad school to cover at least a portion of it since the prices were so astronomical and I think it was granted.
I work at a travel clinic in Arizona (not Passport Health). We try to keep our prices as affordable as we can and we do post our pricing on our website where it's easy to find: https://www.awayclinic.com/pricing. Looks like we're about $100 less than Passport Health in this case. Here are a few things to consider:
1. We have a lot of costs. We have to pay $185 just to buy one dose of...
I work at a travel clinic in Arizona (not Passport Health). We try to keep our prices as affordable as we can and we do post our pricing on our website where it's easy to find: https://www.awayclinic.com/pricing. Looks like we're about $100 less than Passport Health in this case. Here are a few things to consider:
1. We have a lot of costs. We have to pay $185 just to buy one dose of yellow fever vaccine (I don't know Passport Health's cost but I assume it's lower). We also have to pay salaries for nurses, advertising costs, office space, etc. These expenditures are often wasted when the nurse sits idle without an appointment (due to no-show or other reason), or when we have to discard vaccine that we haven't been able to sell. Some of the vaccine we can send back for a refund but some we can't.
2. Insurance companies will not work with travel clinics, generally speaking. They won't credential travel clinics so we have no option to take insurance.
3. Pharmacies do take insurance but they often lack expertise, don't stock the vaccines, and make you jump through a lot of hoops (this varies from pharmacy to pharmacy and from day to day--I realize that many people have gotten in and out of a pharmacy hassle-free, on short notice with little out of pocket but there's no guarantee). Also, most pharmacies don't do yellow fever, typhoid or Japanese encephalitis shots at all though they say they do on their website so you can spend a lot of time playing phone tag trying to get your shot. If you go to a pharmacy be sure you plan WAY ahead and do your own research. Check the CDC website to figure out what shots you need. Most of the people we see don't have time to go through all of that so it's either us or Passport Health (which costs $100 more as you see).
Please reach out if you need any more information. Oh and one more thing--I noticed that you linked to Passport Health in your blog post. This really helps them out with their Google ranking and ensures that the next person pays just as much when they end up there. Think before you link.
With all the travel that you do, I'm surprised you never got it! I got mine back in 2010 and it cost around $150 at my doctor's office. Back then it was only good for 10 years but nowadays there is no expiration date.
Ben,
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to help protect your health when you're traveling abroad. We appreciate the work you do as well as your voice to help inform your audience of the importance of protecting your health while adventuring overseas.
As many of your readers mentioned in their comments, healthcare in the United States - including that which is preventative - is generally far more expensive than in other countries. That, of course,...
Ben,
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to help protect your health when you're traveling abroad. We appreciate the work you do as well as your voice to help inform your audience of the importance of protecting your health while adventuring overseas.
As many of your readers mentioned in their comments, healthcare in the United States - including that which is preventative - is generally far more expensive than in other countries. That, of course, is due to many factors outside of the control of any one healthcare provider. Further frustrating travelers is that many insurance providers do not cover travel vaccinations as they are viewed as elective. As some have pointed out here, there are exceptions and we encourage all of our clients to check their insurance policies to determine individual coverage allowances and limitations.
As many of your readers suggested, vaccines to prevent serious illness are available in most countries around the world. These are not always the same vaccines as those administered in the United States and the conditions under which they are delivered also may not be the same. Furthermore, waiting to receive vaccinations until you are in-country is generally not advised. The Centers for Disease Control, for example, recommends getting the yellow fever vaccine at least 10 days prior to departure to allow time for immunity to develop. Waiting to get vaccinated after landing in Brazil or Ghana - while likely less expensive than in the United States and many other countries - may not offer the necessary protection from disease.
With all of that said, prices can vary from one provider to the next - just as they do in most industries. We encourage anyone seeking vaccines or other services to shop around. Passport Health is not always the low-price leader. Some health systems and public health providers (e.g, county health departments), for example, receive significantly reduced vaccine costs from manufacturers and distributors because they operate in the public health space. But sometimes discounted pricing also follows limited service levels.
Specialty vaccines, such as YF-Vax, may not always be available from certain providers, as they are at Passport Health. Additionally, warehouse clubs and chain pharmacies often have limited schedules due to staffing shortages, forcing them to prioritize delivery of flu, RSV and covid vaccines to help maintain the health of the general population. As you pointed out, Passport Health consistently offers a broad schedule along with convenient online booking. Our facilities also offer an atmosphere you would expect from a concierge medicine provider. And our medical team presents well-hewn, science-based, personalized advice founded in 30 years of travel medicine and does so in a comfortable, modern and private setting.
Again, thank you for highlighting the importance of travel medicine and for visiting one of our clinics. We very much appreciate your dedication to adventure and global travel as well as your service to your fellow globetrotters.
Safe travels,
Passport Health
Nice of you to put in all sorts of verbiage to hide the fact that you charge 2x what everyone else does.
This is 100% your fault. You should have asked ahead of time. There are many travel clinics on the list and the vaccine price varies. I would have thought one that is inside or associated with a university medical center would be the cheapest or one associated with a large pharmacy chain.
I'm so sorry you got gouged!
The majority of health plans in the States do not cover Yellow Fever or typhoid vaccines. Everything else is covered at 100 percent under the Affordable Care Act.
(Hepatitis A&B, polio, shingles, HPV, meningococcal ACWY and B, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, flu... with a few age restrictions.)
The usual administration fee for vaccines is $24-30, but that fee only applies to vaccines that are not covered. The law says that there...
I'm so sorry you got gouged!
The majority of health plans in the States do not cover Yellow Fever or typhoid vaccines. Everything else is covered at 100 percent under the Affordable Care Act.
(Hepatitis A&B, polio, shingles, HPV, meningococcal ACWY and B, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, flu... with a few age restrictions.)
The usual administration fee for vaccines is $24-30, but that fee only applies to vaccines that are not covered. The law says that there must not be any "cost sharing" (administration fee, etc.)
Passport Health has been struggling. So perhaps their business model isn't quite as solid. Or perhaps vaccines aren't their primary objective.
Yellow Fever vaccine does require special permission, but I've had that for decades. It just means that I go through the training every couple of years (it's about an hour of online education about the vaccine.) I'm then issues a special Yellow Fever stamp from the state. So anyone who acts like Yellow Fever is so incredibly difficult is inexperienced or just trying to get extra cash.
Please reach out to one of us here if you find yourself in a similar circumstance.
I would like to know if anyone with a US passport has ever been asked to show proof of YF vaccination entering Africa. I have travelled to Africa 4 times in last 5 years (S. Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana). Have never been asked to show proof of vaccination. (I have a doctor's letter stating that the vaccine is contra indicated due to my age.)
For those countries, I was never asked since they didn't require it (they only require you to show yellow fever vaccination if you arrived from a country where yellow fever was present.) I was asked to show yellow fever vaccine certificate when I entered Congo.
Definitely fall into the highway-robbery category. I got my typhoid vaccine from Kaiser Permanente before visiting Thailand and it was $150.00.
Our family of 4 got the Yellow Fever vaccine at a local travel clinic before our Safari trip to Kenya. Cost was $100+ each. They didn't accept insurance and so we paid up front and put in a claim with our insurance company upon our return. As expected they tried to wiggle out of paying up, but eventually paid us after we submitted screenshots from CDC website that stated the vaccine was mandatory when entering South Africa from Kenya.
One of the biggest challenges with the US health care system is to get the actual cost prior to the treatment. With many employers switching to high deductible plans, essentially I need to pay the first $1.5K myself. I rarely have expenses higher than that, but I am always bummed when I get a $500 bill for a 15 minute visit for a routine exam.
We got our yellow fever vaccine at Henry Ford Hospital travel health clinic in West Bloomfield, MI in 2017 and if I remember correctly it was less than $150.
The prices in the US are really crazy.
As an example, here in Chile, a country that does not have this disease, the yellow fever vaccine costs USD 70.
In Brazil it is totally free.
Jeez Lucky, scammed in Jeddah airport, ripped off at the vaccination clinic - I thought you did this stuff for a living? Better watch out for the unlicensed baggage porters in O.R Tambo International......
Seriously, change up $200.00 into South African Rand BEFORE you travel. Exchange rate is very favourable too. Cash is king in many places once you venture outside and stumbling around Johannesburg looking for an ATM won't end well!
I paid exactly $0 in the UAE for my yellow fever vaccine.
Back in 1987 I paid ₹15 for my first vaccine in Mumbai. Now it is ₹300 ($3.50).
Ben, you have a german passport.
Why did you not do that in Germany then (while stop-overing there) as it is sooo much cheaper there than in the USA
Why not start your own travel vaccine clinic?
What would be the costs? What about these hypotheticals....
1 doctor and 2 assistants for a total labor cost of $20,000 per month.
Rent of $3,000 per month
Office expenses and utilities and other clerical office costs of $1,500 per month
Insurance cost of $2,000 per month
Medical office supplies of $3,000 per month.
Total monthly cost of $30,000.
5 vaccine...
Why not start your own travel vaccine clinic?
What would be the costs? What about these hypotheticals....
1 doctor and 2 assistants for a total labor cost of $20,000 per month.
Rent of $3,000 per month
Office expenses and utilities and other clerical office costs of $1,500 per month
Insurance cost of $2,000 per month
Medical office supplies of $3,000 per month.
Total monthly cost of $30,000.
5 vaccine patients per day or 150 per month. That works out to be $200 per patient plus the cost of the vaccine.
I heard that the RSV vaccine costs a medical clinic about $400 so if they charge $400, they can't even pay for the cost of the vaccine and syringe.
It seems a bit high. If you take Switzerland, which has higher standards of living and a comparable healthcare model to the US, vaccine itself is around 80 chf, and appointment would be between 100 chf to 200 chf. So should be around 300 USD. No reimbursement with standard insurance.
AMS airport charges about 70incl consulation fee.
https://www.klmhealthservices.com/en/vaccination/charges/
Looks to be £60-65 in the UK.
Found this helpful URL that shows which airports offer the vaccine. TLDR, mostly major hubs, all landside, all under US$100.
https://www.sfcdcp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/airport-vaccine-centers.pdf
I just did the YF vaccine since I theoretically needed it for an overnight connection, although no one ever asked about it...I went to Walgreens, made a same-day appointment online, and used GoodRx. Total was around $193. Note that not all Walgreens offer the vaccine, so check the state listing for sites, but that seemed like the best way. On GoodRx at least, CVS was even cheaper, but not as conveniently located
Aren't you in Florida?
It's exactly how deregulation works: companies can do whatever they want to screw customers over, and every purchase decision needs to be an endless tiresome research project.
You should've flown to Germany. Over here, yellow fewer vaccinations generally cost 60 Euro...(if they're not covered by insurance...). You could have done it at FRA's airport clinic....
You should've flown to Germany. Over here, yellow fewer vaccinations generally cost 60 Euro...(if they're not covered by insurance...). You could have done it at FRA's airport clinic....
Anyone who travels to areas where you need a vaccine would know the aprox cost. Over 10 years ago when I needed one it was about $175 then and that was from a public health office. It’s so similar to the pcr costs needed for some countries which price was a complete and total rip off
You should get the yellow fever vaccine at your first port of entry in Africa. Most airports offer similar service at a reasonable price. I had the same issue when I visited Kenya and wanted to visit different countries after Kenya but they all require yf vaccine. When I wanted to get it before my travel, it was insanely expensive, not as much as yours but it's not just the vaccine cost, I had to...
You should get the yellow fever vaccine at your first port of entry in Africa. Most airports offer similar service at a reasonable price. I had the same issue when I visited Kenya and wanted to visit different countries after Kenya but they all require yf vaccine. When I wanted to get it before my travel, it was insanely expensive, not as much as yours but it's not just the vaccine cost, I had to pay for doctors consultation and admin cost etc so they added up. The cost you see for the vaccine is just a part of it. Then when I landed in Kenya I got it at the airport (after searching online I knew it was possible). It cost 2500 Kenyan shillings at the airport to get the vaccine and certificate. All inclusive. But I was told that I can just get the certificate without getting the vaccine if I pay the same amount. It was my choice, so it probably worked for you better since you got vaccine before.
In Finland, I got this from my local health center before my leisure trip to Guinea Bissau. Cost? 0 EUR.
Of course you should leave a review and state that everything worked smoothly but the price was exorbitant.
When I lived in Bahrain, all the shots were free ;-)
After reading this thread, and with a trip to Africa planned for August, I looked at my local Northern California county website. They offer travel vaccines on Fridays with an appointment-cost of Yellow Fever is $130!! Will be making my appointment tomorrow....
For Passport Health that is very normal, they charge a lot because they know most of their customers A) don't have another options and/or B) are doing it for work and their company is paying, so they don't care.
It's very difficult to get the Yellow Fever vaccine in the U.S., most travel clinics don't even have it and you have to go to the special special ones, like passport, so you got what...
For Passport Health that is very normal, they charge a lot because they know most of their customers A) don't have another options and/or B) are doing it for work and their company is paying, so they don't care.
It's very difficult to get the Yellow Fever vaccine in the U.S., most travel clinics don't even have it and you have to go to the special special ones, like passport, so you got what you could get. If you had time to wait you could have gotten it overseas on one of your stops, it's widely available for cheap, I stopped into a clinic in Brussels a few years ago and got it for 50 Euros as I was not going to pay the Passport Health rates back in the U.S., and even at that my European friends told me I could have still gotten it cheaper, but I was very content with the 50 Euro price.
Was about 80 EUR in NL including the fee for them to come to my home to do it. And was covered by my health insurance.
I received it some 6 years ago during a visit to Buenos Aires Argentina. Booked online in the public health system, got an appointment for 2 days later, showed up and got my yellow fever vax in about 20 minutes. Total cost $0.
US healthcare is a scam.
Yes, you got screwed.
I got the yellow fever vaccine for my month long travel in Brazil. Got it through Passport Health in Atlanta. I don't remember how much I paid, but I assure you it wasn't that much. Given my penchant for not wasting money, I'm fairly certain I paid under $100.
This was 2018, so perhaps something happened in those 5 years to increase the price.
Japanese encephalitis vaccine was also very expensive in the US
With all (un)due respect, but if you actually paid this instead of walking away, then that makes you a complete Schmuck. In Germany that's 60 Euro, in Japan 16,000 Yen and in the U.S. not more than $140.
Denver Health hospital’s travel clinic website is a great source for reasonable vaccine prices. Why? It’s a city-run public hospital primarily for people without insurance or money (disproportionately homeless patients). So there’s not even the financial motive of a typical “non-profit” hospital. However, their travel clinic is not a public health clinic and it doesn’t take insurance. Yellow fever costs $210 there and the clinical consult at $70 is optional. So you overpaid by about...
Denver Health hospital’s travel clinic website is a great source for reasonable vaccine prices. Why? It’s a city-run public hospital primarily for people without insurance or money (disproportionately homeless patients). So there’s not even the financial motive of a typical “non-profit” hospital. However, their travel clinic is not a public health clinic and it doesn’t take insurance. Yellow fever costs $210 there and the clinical consult at $70 is optional. So you overpaid by about 2x in terms of fair cash cost in a major American city, but that’s because you used a for-profit facility.
I work in for-profit healthcare so know the pros and cons ;)
Not knowing a foreign governments health department policies, or if low paid government workers are subject to bribes on contracts [which never happens in first world countries :-)], not sure if I would feel comfortable paying the lower amount in a second or third world country.
If you over paid by about $200, you can live with that. If it protects you, and prevents you from getting the fever or spreading it to your husband or son, worth every cent.
Any concerns with traveling to Africa as a gay man? Gay couple? I have largely avoided the continent due to the crazy laws that keep getting passed.
I got mine at Bangkok airport for $15.
I got mine about 6 years ago and I vividly remember it costing $350+. I couldn't believe it either.
Not sure what your insurance situation is but mine was completely covered back in 2019. Went to the travel clinic out of my GP's larger hospital group in California. I am sure the costs were probably in the same ballpark.
My American insurance covers all my travel vaccines and meds (malaria pills, altitude pills, sea sick patches). I’m surprised yours doesn’t
Upon landing in Abidjan last month (AF CDG-ABJ) there was a separate processing line before you obtained your e-visa, to scrutinize proof of yellow fever vaccination.
What countries are you visiting where you need one?
Vaccines are very expensive and often a clinic cannot use up all of it.
Well, I would say, you will just simply like a travel pro to have a much cheaper vaccine… it should not cost more than 50 dollars, it may costs almost nothing if you could just simply do it while traveling in some other cheaper countries.
I just got one in Cartagena. Colombia for free. It was great service. I planed to go to Bolivia.
It’s a tad ironic that your entire website funding Model is based off how to skim off a corporation in the cheapest way possible yet you write a post about how you didn’t even do basic research for a simple vaccine and seem shocked that a company got you so you complain
You don’t see the slightest Karma?
May I ask. We all enjoy how you travel the world in first class as a job but do you purchase healthcare under the federal requirements?
This post makes it sound like you don’t or bought the cheapest plan. This experience isn’t normal in the US for someone of your income and I think you know that yet yoiu make it oddly sensational
I could go to my primary care doc tomorrow for this vaccine and get it for nothing tomorrow
Sorry but that is generally not true @MaxPower, many private insurance plans in the US do not cover travel vaccinations. This is something that has been added to exclusion lists over the years. They will cover routine vaccines (such as flu) at no cost but not elective travel like yellow fever.
Sorry but this is just generally not true. Most private insurance in the US do not cover travel vaccines. This has been something added to exclusions over the years. They will cover routing vaccines (like the flu) but not elective vaccines needed for travel like yellow fever. Maybe your plan does cover travel vaccinations but that would not be the norm.
At lease it’s a business expense for you
What the cost outside the US is irrelevant. Most Americans know out of pocket healthcare is less expensive anywhere than the US.
Ben could have gone to any country for this vaccine but chose to get it in Miami. Private healthcare vs. the Department of Health. Seemingly did not use insurance.
Lesson learned the hard way.
I guess they also asked for a tip
Cost in Argentina: $0.
Having a public health service (even with budget problems) is a blessing.
Yes, but... you live in Argentina. I'd trade living in the USA and paying $400+ for a yellow fever vaccine instead :D
Meh... It is the US, I paid that much too. Luckily it is once a life charge (provided you don't lose your yellow book).
Most people in the US go through their employers insurance so they don't care about the cost since their copay generally ends up being around $25. That's part of the problem size health care providers know this and generally get whatever was previously negotiated with insurer. The problem comes when you buy your own insurance or use anything less than great coverage. I have had MRI prices(for the same scan I get every few months)...
Most people in the US go through their employers insurance so they don't care about the cost since their copay generally ends up being around $25. That's part of the problem size health care providers know this and generally get whatever was previously negotiated with insurer. The problem comes when you buy your own insurance or use anything less than great coverage. I have had MRI prices(for the same scan I get every few months) range from $2500 to $35,000. It's like seeing a cellphone at target for $900 and the same one at best buy for $9,500 and nobody cares because their employers will pay for it and the employee eventually pays $25 for the phone so they just go to the nearest store.
Most employer-based insurance plans do not pay for discretionary travel vaccines. They cover the CDC-recommended general vaccines.
I’m sure it came with a Krug branded syringe by a silver service individual. Ha.
You could have done it a lot cheaper in Germany (as I know you travel there frequently).
But I had a relatively long consultation as well. The Yellow Fever vaccination is probably the nastiest one I have ever had. Side effects were heavy and prolonged.
Welcome to the country, where health care is part of organized crime.
In Germany a yellow fever vaccination costs about 65 USD.
17930¥ plus a 2880¥ consultation fee in Tokyo or about $150 at current exchange rates
A couple points, but I'll start out saying Passport Health Atlanta got me a few years ago, incidentally also for yellow fever (around 2016/2017ish).
My experience was that they were very accommodative and aspired to be a concierge service, like they called and were proactive about allowing me to change my appointment time easily, or conveying I could come in at my leisure - early, late, whatever. That said, the price was just too much...
A couple points, but I'll start out saying Passport Health Atlanta got me a few years ago, incidentally also for yellow fever (around 2016/2017ish).
My experience was that they were very accommodative and aspired to be a concierge service, like they called and were proactive about allowing me to change my appointment time easily, or conveying I could come in at my leisure - early, late, whatever. That said, the price was just too much compared to the Department of Health. It might be useful in a pinch, but it is clearly a premium.
Each county DOH has a different price schedule, and your insurance may bring that price lower. Similarly, your insurance might have conditions, like elective travel vaccines are only covered if they are given at an in network location, etc. Additionally, many manufacturers offer discount programs for some vaccines, (e.g., based on income or if insurance doesn't cover, etc.). Additionally, some more exotic vaccines require reconstitution, so they might only administer on a certain day (my DOH only does travel vaccines on Tuesday, for example), while my Passport Health experience was that I could saunter in and they'd be happy to crack open a brand new vial at my leisure.
It seemed they might do a fair bit of business through corporate contracts, as they were located close to a lot of tech/consulting companies in the area. I could see something like that being convenient, again, with no notice to schedule ahead of time.
Here in Sydney the Yellow Fever vaccine is $80 USD (120 AUD). The US truly is outrageous.
I got the vaccine at a small clinic in Fort Lauderdale near Port Everglades - the clinic specialized in crew members, mostly from cargo ships. I paid less than $100 but it was probably six or seven years ago.
You should start planning trips for medical tourism to countries like India. You can pay all cash to fly premium for Treatment and still get charged lesser than what you would be billed stateside.
Learned the hard way with Passport Health. Check Costco and CVS. Note that, IME, neither stock the specialty vaccines - all have to be ordered, so not great for last minute needs.
As it happens I was just looking at this recently, so I immediately looked up the price at a private clinic here in Prague. The yellow fever vaccine cost is $77 all-in, medical consultation included.
At a city hospital, the vaccine is $50 + $4 for an international vaccination certificate.
US pricing really is steep!
Capitalism. And you complain? There is a supply and demand curve where they intersect is the "natural" price. The invisible hand of the market! Has nothing to do with profiteering.
Lolol are you kidding? Insurance companies have been sucking off the US government teat at the expense of patients since they started offering medical insurance.
Lolol are you kidding? Insurance companies have been sucking off the US government teat at the expense of patients since they started offering medical insurance.
Also how is the invisible hand of the market supposed to work in a market where the product involves the physical/mental health of the consumer and the consumer is completely in the dark about pricing?
"The website didn’t list the cost for any vaccines"... In America you can never know in advance the price for anything health related.
In fact whenever I can plan ahead I try to travel to Mexico for health issues, even having a "good" employer provided health insurance.
Indeed. I travel to Argentina often and find it is cheaper to get a full checkup (eco + ekg under stress, eco of neck, full day halter, cardiologist visit) paying full out of pocket than getting even a simple doctor visit WITH A GOOD EMPLOYER HEALTH PLAN in the US. Health in the US is a scam
At my local county health department in CA Yellow Fever shot is $173.
Looks like you got ripped off bad.
This has been my experience as well. Most places you can get normal vaccines don't carry yellow fever so you have to go to specialty places like Passport Health. But maybe that is just Texas where I live. My org, where I have worked for 20 years, does a lot of international travel and we all get all the vaccines (in fact I am due for them again now) and the yellow fever is by...
This has been my experience as well. Most places you can get normal vaccines don't carry yellow fever so you have to go to specialty places like Passport Health. But maybe that is just Texas where I live. My org, where I have worked for 20 years, does a lot of international travel and we all get all the vaccines (in fact I am due for them again now) and the yellow fever is by far the most expensive and always has been. It's a pain but for us our work covers it and I'd imagine you can take it off your itemized taxes, right? I think we are just used to insurance etc covering most routine vaccines so it can be shocking getting full price "optional" ones. I'd also note in traveling to/from Africa and to other places where it's recommended, I've only shown my vaccine card (yellow one card) once to prove I had the vaccine.
@TravelinWilly it's always been this expensive even pre-Obama-care.
In Norway, a Yellow Fever vaccine is 75 USD, including fees and consultation.
Yep, pretty much identical to the cost in the UK too!
As someone who spent the majority of their career working in the poorest countries of Asia, Latin America, and especially Africa, I can sympathize with the shock of what these vaccinations cost in the US. More important is keeping these vaccinations up-to-date and understanding the basic procedures you need to keep yourself healthy during any extended stay, especially when visiting rural locations. That yellow International Certificate of Vaccination is your friend. Make sure you get...
As someone who spent the majority of their career working in the poorest countries of Asia, Latin America, and especially Africa, I can sympathize with the shock of what these vaccinations cost in the US. More important is keeping these vaccinations up-to-date and understanding the basic procedures you need to keep yourself healthy during any extended stay, especially when visiting rural locations. That yellow International Certificate of Vaccination is your friend. Make sure you get all of the required shots and keep them up-to-date.
And I'm so glad you'll be looking at some travel opportunities in Africa. Your recent focus on so many Middle Eastern countries was interesting because in traveling to Africa - especially East Africa - you must (surprisingly) transit through hubs like Dubai to get anywhere. I've been sharing my Middle East travel adventures with my friends for years, including the high-end car dealers in the airport and the true luxury of traveling business class on one of those Middle Eastern airlines, including a lounge with a piano bar on board.
I am looking forward to your future stories. Stay safe, Ben.
We had our yellow fever vaccine for free many years ago, when travelling in South America. A local travel agency, advised us of local hospitals doing free of charge.
It’s not just a vaccine. Get a simple blood test, insured is one price, no insurance is triple. ALWAYS ask if covered by insurance, how much is your share, total out of pocket for the service.
You are lucky it’s less not double the Stste of Florida price (I went to the California equivalent).
This was a cheap lesson. On some services it could cost you 20x.
Just got it done last week at Walgreens in LBTS, FL. Medicare covered the YF-vax for my husband, my ACA policy did not cover this vaccine, I paid $196.50.
If your a Costco member you can get travel vaccines at their pharmacy. You can buy the SafeGard consult for $40 and it gets reviewed online and they send whatever vaccines you need/want to your Costco pharmacy. The vaccines are cheaper plus some vaccines are covered by insurance. If you go to a health travel place they do not take insurance so even if something is covered your still paying out of pocket. Don't ever...
If your a Costco member you can get travel vaccines at their pharmacy. You can buy the SafeGard consult for $40 and it gets reviewed online and they send whatever vaccines you need/want to your Costco pharmacy. The vaccines are cheaper plus some vaccines are covered by insurance. If you go to a health travel place they do not take insurance so even if something is covered your still paying out of pocket. Don't ever pay for Tdap, Hep A/B, MMR if you have insurance. Costco charges around $185 for yellowfever. If you need Typhoid, try to get the live oral vaccine because it's 5 yrs vs 2 yrs for the shot. If your going to Africa you should have Typhoid vax
We also went to Costco and the pharmacist was excellent. He actually advised to not get the vaccine and gave us an official letter stating that we were outside the age limit (70s) and the vaccine was more dangerous to us than the disease. Not going to Africa, yet. Heading to India in March.
One thing many people don't know...you don't have to be a Costco member to use their pharmacy! They ask for a membership at the door but if you say I am here for the pharmacy they have to let you in by law. Just FYI for anyone without a membership.
My family all got ours a few years ago (2019) for a trip to Africa. We just went to the local health department. They were $99 each, if I recall correctly. And I thought they were expensive! I think you paid waaaay too much.
Being someone with certain medical conditions prevent those from receiving this sort of live-virus vaccine. HIV is one that comes to mind.
I'd need to go into the history books, but I have had 2. My first under a PPO plan was $100ish (2007). I was told I needed to re-up in 2016 and it was free + copay $25 under my HMO plan.
You should always check GoodRx for vaccine prices (even if your insurance covers part of it). You can get a Stamaril GoodRx coupon for about $145 anywhere in the U.S.
Leave a review you are comfortable with, and share what you paid. Had someone else done the same thing, you'd have seen the price before making an appointment and may have made a different decision.
In UK £60-85 so no more than $100 basically.
Literally just booked and confirmed prior to reading this article... now unbooking... I will land in Europe and do it there. Thank you!
It's currently 90 euros at Charles De Gaulle airport.
It's pretty wild. I got mine in Nov 2017, when there was a real shortage in the US - I had to get it for a trip. I must have called 100 places in New York. I finally found one in midtown, they said cash only ($250), or credit card with an 8% fee (!!!). It was a weird room, flickering lights in some random building. No signage. I showed up, waited an hour, and...
It's pretty wild. I got mine in Nov 2017, when there was a real shortage in the US - I had to get it for a trip. I must have called 100 places in New York. I finally found one in midtown, they said cash only ($250), or credit card with an 8% fee (!!!). It was a weird room, flickering lights in some random building. No signage. I showed up, waited an hour, and then got seen by a doctor. I was curious about how they seemed to be the only place that had it and asked, and the doctor wheeled around and screamed at me incoherently, demanding to know what I was accusing him of, gesturing wildly with the syringe. Absolutely terrifying. If it wasn't my only option, I'd have got up and left. I looked into it later, when back from my trip, and it was gone like it had never even been there.
I can't honestly even say it was the vaccine. For all I know, the whole thing was an insane scam and it was saline or god knows what else.
Probably gave you a Covid vaccine.
As a data point, I think I paid around £85 for a yellow fever vaccine here in the UK (at boots pharmacy) where I booked the appointment the day before. Granted this was around 6-7 years ago before a trip to Africa, prices may have increased since then. I also fainted during the jab, by the way. Happy times!
As others said, for the stuff that isn't covered by any health insurance like yellow fever vaccines (or Lasik ;) ), you're better off doing it overseas like in Europe where healthcare is... a thing. Did mine in France and it was a fraction of the cost you mentioned.
I can schedule a vaccine in few hours time for less than $100 here in the UK (fully private). The comments show this is at the higher end here in Europe.
Sounds like you've been the victim of the very unique U.S. healthcare overcharging.
Brazil is a great place to get it done. It's FREE! Southern Coastal Brazil is YF Free anyway, so if you're there, you can get it done. Your experience @Ben, and I sympathize with you because my partner needs to get hers, shows everything that is wrong with healthcare in America. It's basically cheaper to do it anywhere that isn't called the United States.
Also in Colombia
I am currently researching this as well ironically (in the US). What is unique is that some States permit the vaccine to be administered via places like Walgreens/CVS (Rhode Island is one of them) but others require it to be given only at authorized Travel Centers/Clinics (Massachusetts is one of them). Additionally I checked with my health insurance, and there are no provisions/exclusions that would prohibit me from having it covered under vaccinations/immunizations. Since Travel...
I am currently researching this as well ironically (in the US). What is unique is that some States permit the vaccine to be administered via places like Walgreens/CVS (Rhode Island is one of them) but others require it to be given only at authorized Travel Centers/Clinics (Massachusetts is one of them). Additionally I checked with my health insurance, and there are no provisions/exclusions that would prohibit me from having it covered under vaccinations/immunizations. Since Travel Clinics operate as cash businesses in my experience (and do not accept insurance), it may, at least in my case, pay to go out of State to get the vaccine done at a pharmacy that issues them.
Yellow Fever is probably totally different but I wasn't able to find a pharmacy in NY that could do a Typhoid vaccine and ended up driving to a pharmacy in Massachusetts for it (also was available in Connecticut).
Yeah, Typhoid is available at pharmacies in Mass - need a prescription from your doctor for the oral per one of our local pharmacists. Yellow Fever in Mass is simply not available via pharmacies at all. But if you drive across State lines it is. I have no idea what the politics are behind it, but I'm certainly not looking to pay out of pocket for 4 people if my health insurance will cover it. That's just foolish!
Ben, doesn't your insurance cover vaccinations?
Most employer-based insurance plans do not pay for discretionary travel vaccines. They cover the CDC-recommended general vaccines.
Even a couple hundred bucks would be on the high end. That price is a complete ripoff and I absolutely would savage them online over it. YF vaccines have been in short supply in many places the last few years (even pre-Covid), and it is definitely possible your insurance may cover it (mine did).
I've never heard of a $400 yellow fever vaccine anywhere in the world. This clinic seems to be the vaccine equivalent...
Even a couple hundred bucks would be on the high end. That price is a complete ripoff and I absolutely would savage them online over it. YF vaccines have been in short supply in many places the last few years (even pre-Covid), and it is definitely possible your insurance may cover it (mine did).
I've never heard of a $400 yellow fever vaccine anywhere in the world. This clinic seems to be the vaccine equivalent of Travelex for changing money - a ripoff for those who don't know better.
Around $100 in Poland, including doctor's check-up, vaccine, and the yellow card certificate.
Do it in Germany, it’s probably cheaper. I did it years ago in Spain, where I live, and it was about 20€
Paid around 50 EUR (55 USD) in Germany. And as a bonus even got gifted 3 books about my travel destination from the private library of the Doc
I’m not sure your insurance situation but I would have gone here:
https://umiamihealth.org/en/promotions/travel-clinic
Or whatever you local academic medical center might be. I’m almost certain it’s covered. Your insurance definitely doesn’t want you coming back with some tropical disease.
This could also very well be something like any other medical service - “Price $450, insurance discount $300, insurance paid $120, you pay $30.”
I go to an academic medical center for some of my medical care. The doctors are some of the best in the world. BUT, the wait times can be crazy. That extra couple of hundred bucks probably saved him at least an hour of wait time. Sounds like this clinic was expensive, but friendly and quick.
I have health coverage from a large HMO in California. The yellow fever vaccine (and all other vaccines) are free.
Dentistry Tourism takes me to SE Asia, where the savings off Canadian dentistry fees can pay for the trip, especially if I'm flying on points. But Vaccine Tourism? Looks like it's not a thing. I suspect Ben won't make this mistake again and this thread (especially the comments) will benefit many. Many of you guys have cited reasonable US prices for anyone who does a little homework before committing.
I got mine at NBO airport for $50 as i had to transit via EBB. Would have had it for about the same amount in Germany. What you paid sounds like a total rip-off.
$50 sounds about right for reused needles and Chinese made serum.
Poor blowhard. $43 for mine in an excellent travel clinic in South Africa. Too bad all you Americans have a health care system that extracts ever more from your pockets and has convinced you that they're worth it because...life or death! And yet you all have metabolic syndrome anyways. You can keep your coca cola and Cheetos and salt and $200 or $400 or whatever yellow fever vaccine.
Travel clinics are expensive so it pays to shop around. The yellow fever vaccine is a “live” vaccine so there’s a slight chance you might not feel too well later tonight. If that happens to you, like it did to me, it’s considered to be a good sign as it means your body found the invader and is working on building a strong immunity to it. Good luck!
In London, I got mine for £65 all in from Nomad Travel at Liverpool St.
Not many places have Yellow Fever Vaccine in AL. We called a few places, some of them were about $300 with the office admin fee. We asked around and found one that charges $196. Paid upfront and surprisingly were reimbursed fully by United health insurance.
"I got the yellow fever vaccine because I want to review more African airlines"
I love this blog
I would have expected yellow fever vaccine to be covered as preventive with no co-pay for the office visit or vaccine under the Affordable Care Act. Not too late to submit a claim and see what happens - although no doubt this is out of network.
That’s for poorer people. Not rich jet setters.
No, this ACA regulation (free CDC-recommended vaccines) applies to all commercial insurance plans. However, as BeantownFlyer noted, there is some gray area around whether Ben could have found it at an in-network provider -- if it's something like not reasonably available through an in-network provider (which possibly is the case), then it's covered even with the provider being out-of-network.
No, this ACA regulation (free CDC-recommended vaccines) applies to all commercial insurance plans. However, as BeantownFlyer noted, there is some gray area around whether Ben could have found it at an in-network provider -- if it's something like not reasonably available through an in-network provider (which possibly is the case), then it's covered even with the provider being out-of-network.
I'd wager "CDC-recommended vaccines" are going to be standard things like tetanus, MMR, etc - not
"travel" vaccines for tropical illnesses (though who knows what's liable to turn up in Florida these days).
From limited experience with travel medicine it definitely depends on insurance and provider - I had typhoid vaccine covered completely by one plan, then not at all several years later when I needed it again.
Ben - I think "travel health"...
I'd wager "CDC-recommended vaccines" are going to be standard things like tetanus, MMR, etc - not
"travel" vaccines for tropical illnesses (though who knows what's liable to turn up in Florida these days).
From limited experience with travel medicine it definitely depends on insurance and provider - I had typhoid vaccine covered completely by one plan, then not at all several years later when I needed it again.
Ben - I think "travel health" specialists are likely a rip-off - better off going to your standard GP / medical group and/or a national pharmacy chain.
When I received my Yellow Fever and Rabies vaccinations in 2015, I paid $0 as they were 100% covered by my insurance.
Convenience is a big factor. I got mine at a the infectious disease clinic at Mt Sinai in Miami Beach maybe 10 years ago! the guy running the place had a Harvard MD from 50 years ago. Insurance paid everything, I think!
these storefront places are designed to be Cash Pay, primarily because they can charge what they wish! You could submit an Out of Network Claim to your health insurance and your vaccine could get reimbursed, at least partially.
See here for prices at US pharmacies. Should be around $200 or lower with no service fees.
https://www.goodrx.com/yf-vax
Pharmacist here--this is the way. Definitely ask around within the retail chain which store has it available and use goodrx. I've counted only a handful of times that insurance paid for this vaccine and I've administered hundreds of them!
In my area, we were the only store within a 60mile radius that had it available.
Ben, you got taken by the passport machine. I almost did the same thing with passport health, but realized what was up when they told me they don’t take insurance and it would be over $1000 for mine.
I then remembered that my obama-care plan was required to cover vaccines, and found a local provider in Austin that had a travel clinic and also took insurance.
I left there with 4 - 5...
Ben, you got taken by the passport machine. I almost did the same thing with passport health, but realized what was up when they told me they don’t take insurance and it would be over $1000 for mine.
I then remembered that my obama-care plan was required to cover vaccines, and found a local provider in Austin that had a travel clinic and also took insurance.
I left there with 4 - 5 vaccines and no payment required.
Bottom line, find a place that takes insurance when getting travel. In Austin, I went to ADC Travel Clinic.
"...my obama-care plan was required to cover vaccines..."
Thanks, Obama.
I say Obama-Care with pride!
From my experience with Passport Health, they are the high end chain in the industry, and charge to reflect that - I used them once, paid over $1000, but it was due to a short notice business trip and their location being next to our downtown office - guess that is the business model and clientele they cater to.
Yellow Fever vaccines are significantly more expensive in North America than rest of the world,...
From my experience with Passport Health, they are the high end chain in the industry, and charge to reflect that - I used them once, paid over $1000, but it was due to a short notice business trip and their location being next to our downtown office - guess that is the business model and clientele they cater to.
Yellow Fever vaccines are significantly more expensive in North America than rest of the world, what a nurse here in Canada told me is that this is due to only the "brand-name" Sanofi Pasteur vaccine typically being catered (or even approved?) here, and there has been a significant shortage of it in the past few years (due to it being a live vaccine) - anybody correct me if I'm wrong, I'm as far from a health professional as there is. So you got charged a premium price on a product that already has a premium price in the region.
As an aside (since I was in this same situation, in case it applies) - if you transit through Ethiopia, most countries do have an exception to yellow fever vaccine being required, usually either by not leaving the airport and/or having transit time less than 12 hours (though best to check requirements of particular country's immigration). It does always carry some risk in case of a delay of course...
Surprised you never ran into needing a YF vaccine in all your travels!
Yep, this was my experience when I got it (back in 2016 or 17 I think). It was for a last minute trip to West Africa, and I was told the US version was out of stock, so I had to get the French vaccine. I remember paying something like $250-300 and couldn't believe it either. I didn't have a choice, unfortunately, as it was one of two clinics on NYC at the time that...
Yep, this was my experience when I got it (back in 2016 or 17 I think). It was for a last minute trip to West Africa, and I was told the US version was out of stock, so I had to get the French vaccine. I remember paying something like $250-300 and couldn't believe it either. I didn't have a choice, unfortunately, as it was one of two clinics on NYC at the time that could provide it. The UN and large corporations will typically offer it as well, but they weren't an option when I needed it.
In Germany, Yellow Fever immunization is ~60€ (65$) Healt insurance covering it when German CDC recommends it for a certain travel destination.
60€ in germany. And it is even covered by some health insurances.
At Boots here in the UK it’s £85 including the certificate.
70 Euro in Germany.
Welcome to the US edition of the big Pharma rip-off Ben. A private (so, not state sponsored) Yellow Fever injection in the UK will cost no more than £69/$88.
To add all the other vaccines needed. Polio, tetanus, hepatitis etc