Why a Covid-19 vaccine could soon cost as much as $150—even if you're insured

If you’re planning on getting a Covid-19 booster this fall, you could be faced with a hefty bill — even if you have insurance.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in May that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends a Covid-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant people.

Kennedy shared the announcement on the social media platform, X, in a video alongside Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Marty Makary, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

“Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another Covid shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children,” Kennedy said in the video. He did not share scientific evidence to support the need for changes to Covid vaccine recommendations.

A representative from the CDC was noticeably missing from the announcement. The agency currently has no acting director, and late last week, RFK Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.