Can You Still Get a Free COVID Vaccine? Here's How to Find Out
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Can you still get a free COVID-19 booster? The answer, for the most part, is yes. But the Trump administration's new "informed consent" approach to vaccination could present hurdles to free vaccinations for certain individuals.
For the past four years, COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available for free in the U.S. However, this is the first fall vaccine season with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leading the Department of Health and Human Services, and his nomination earlier in the year signaled that a new approach to COVID-19 vaccines would be coming.
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on a set of recommendations for vaccine boosters. The main difference in federal vaccine policy this year: The government is no longer recommending universal vaccination. Instead, the CDC guidance encourages doctors and health providers to talk to patients about the "risks and benefits" of vaccination, according to the CDC's statement adopting the recommendations.
The recommendations were issued in September by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — a committee that has been reshaped this year and filled with RFK Jr.-appointees after all 17 members were removed in June.
The Trump administration also broke with past practices for reviewing the vaccine boosters. In an Aug. 1 statement, eight medical association organizations, including the American Medical Association, expressed disappointment in "being barred from [the] nation’s vaccine review process."
Previously, in August, the Food and Drug Administration approved the updated booster shots for folks 65 and older, as well as for those with certain health conditions.
What about everyone else? In Senate testimony on Sept. 14, RFK Jr. insisted that "everybody can get" the vaccine; however, he clarified that the government is no longer suggesting booster shots for "healthy people."
For Americans under 65 with no risk factors, the CDC is now emphasizing "individual-based decision-making," according to the CDC statement.
Can you still get a free COVID-19 vaccine?
If you're in search of a free booster, the good news is that your health insurance will likely cover it.
Major insurers that are part of the trade association AHIP, such as Aetna and Cigna, have committed to providing vaccines with no cost-sharing through 2026.
However, the CDC policy change could lead some insurers to argue that they do not have to cover the full cost of the vaccine for non-recommended groups, experts say.
At this time, it's unclear how exactly people under 65 with no risk factors subject to the "individual-based decision-making" recommendations will be classified. The CDC's statement only said that its guidance allows for vaccine coverage by private insurers under Affordable Care Act rules.
UnitedHealthcare, which is the nation's largest insurer (and not part of AHIP), confirmed that it will fully cover claims for the booster shot for "standard commercial plans."
That may not mean that all of their policyholders are guaranteed free vaccines, however. The insurer recommends that people in "self-insured employer-sponsored plans always confirm their specific plan benefits," spokesperson Tracey Lempner wrote in an email to Money.
"Coverage of COVID-19 vaccines with no cost share is also available to our Medicare members in accordance with CMS requirements and to our Medicaid members in accordance with any applicable state requirements," Lempner added.
As she alluded to, Medicare and Medicaid patients nationwide are entitled to free COVID-19 boosters.
Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax offer vaccine boosters that are updated for the 2025 to 2026 season and recent variants of coronavirus. Only a fraction of the public is expected to actually get the vaccine this year. According to CDC data, 23% of adults opted to get a booster vaccine last season.
Two state coalitions have rejected the revised vaccine policy guidance from the Trump administration. The Northeast Public Health Collaborative, a 10-state group, is recommending vaccination for everyone 6 months or older. California, Oregon, Hawaii and Washington formed a separate West Coast pact.
If your insurance doesn't cover the jab, you may want to look for clinics in your area offering free flu and COVID-19 vaccines as the winter season approaches. Even though the federal government changed its recommendation for universal vaccination, most Americans who want COVID booster shots can still get them for free.
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