Ed Pliml was shocked to learn that the new COVID-19 booster shot was going to cost him more than $100 thanks to a change in federal funding.
He showed CBS News Chicago the mark he received from the recently released updated booster shot, but he said it was a hassle to get.
“I thought it would be just as easy as every other year,” he said.
For Pliml, it meant dropping by the local pharmacy where immunizations were free in the past.
But this time, the pharmacy said they could give him the flu shot, “but that the COVID vaccine wasn’t covered, which I just assumed was a mistake,” Piml said. “And so, he rechecked, and he said, ‘Nope, the flu vaccine is covered. The COVID vaccine isn’t.'”
The out-of-pocket cost was more than $100. Other patients might run into the same issue if they’re not prepared.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained that the Federal Drug Administration ended a program that provided free COVID-19 vaccines in August of 2024.