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Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22, 1996 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: HCFA Press Office(202) 690-6145, CDC Press Office(404) 639-3286
Despite effective vaccines, flu and pneumonia remain the fifth leading cause of death among the elderly. In a typical flu season, the disease causes some 200,000 hospitalizations and takes 20,000 lives. In a bad year it can take up to 40,000 li ves, and 90 percent of these deaths are among people 65 and older.
"It's important that older Americans know three things about the flu shot: it can protect you against illness, you need to get one every year, and it's covered by Medicare," Secretary Shalala said.
Flu shots must be given annually, since the vaccine changes from year-to-year to combat changing strains of the influenza virus. This year's flu shot protects against the two type A and one type B strains of flu viruses expected to circulate in th e United States this winter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults be immunized this year between mid-October and mid-November to be adequately protected.
Medicare coverage for flu shots for the elderly began in 1993, as part of the Clinton Administration's effort to increase immunization rates among older adults. The shots are free for those enrolled in Medicare Part B from physicians who accept M edicare payment as full payment. Medicare also covers vaccinations against pneumonia. A beneficiary who has not previously received the pneumococcal vaccine can obtain it at the same time as the flu shot, and this shot need not be repeated for most bene ficiaries.
Last year, the Medicare program paid for 11 million flu shots, resulting in an estimated 5,000 fewer hospitalizations and $25 million in savings to the Medicare program. Still, only about half of the nation's Medicare beneficiaries were immunized last year. Among African-American beneficiaries, only about a quarter were immunized.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on different methodology, shows that 55 percent of older Americans reported receiving a flu shot in 1994, up from 50 percent in 1993. Only 30 percent of people aged 65 and over said t hey had received a pneumococcal vaccination in 1994, a slight increase over 1993.
This year, the Health Care Financing Administration is making it easier for health care providers to offer free shots to their older patients. HCFA has taken a number of steps to simplify the billing process for flu shots and pneumonia vaccinatio ns, including a new, easy form for providers. Providers can now submit a single claim form, rather than multiple separate forms, for all of the Medicare beneficiaries they immunize.
"While adult immunization rates are rising, they are still low, especially among African-Americans. That's why we are making an extra effort this year to reach the underserved," said Secretary Shalala. In addition to making it easier f or providers to offer flu shots to Medicare beneficiaries, HHS is taking its flu vaccination campaign on-line this year. To increase flu immunization rates and publicize Medicare's coverage of flu shots, HCFA will run its first-ever electronic public ser vice announcement on the Internet. The E-PSA will run throughout the flu season on HCFA's home page (fightflu.cms.hhs.gov), as well as on other health-related sites. The E-PSA provides information on who should get flu shots, where and when to get i mmunized, and the new, simplified billing practices for providers. Organizations interested in displaying the E-PSA banner on their web sites can contact HCFA at flu@cms.hhs.gov for further information.
In addition, HHS has launched the following initiatives this year to inform older Americans about the importance of receiving both their annual flu shots and their one-time-only pneumococcal vaccinations: