New Immunization Guidelines
Due to budget constraints, the Immunization Section will transition from a Universal to a Universal-Select purchase state effective July 1, 2011. Under the Universal –Select guidelines, the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program will continue to provide vaccines at no cost to qualifying children 18 and younger who are uninsured, Native American/Alaskan Native, or Medicaid eligible. Children in Wyoming who are underinsured may receive VFC vaccine at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or a Rural Health Clinic (RHC). Underinsured children outside of an FQHC or RHC and children who have health insurance are not considered VFC-eligible and should not receive VFC vaccine.
Children who are aged 18 years and younger, are residents of Wyoming, and are underinsured , making them ineligible for the VFC program, can still receive vaccines from the Wyoming Vaccinates Important People (WyVIP) program. As of July 1, 2011, the WyVIP program will only provide single antigen or combinations of the following vaccines to underinsured and insured children: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP), polio, hepatitis B, Hib, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), pneumococcal conjugate (PCV), rotavirus, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap), and varicella. Providers wishing to provide human papillomavirus (HPV), meningococcal conjugate, hepatitis A, and influenza vaccines to non-VFC-eligible children will need to purchase these vaccines directly from the manufacturer.
As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the VFC Operations Guide, an underinsured child is "a child who has insurance but the coverage does not include vaccines, a child whose insurance covers only selected vaccines or a child whose insurance caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount. Once that coverage amount is reached, the child is categorized as underinsured. Underinsured children are eligible to receive VFC vaccine only through a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic." Children who have not met their insurance deductible are not considered underinsured.
The public may access a Vaccine Eligibility Table at www.immunizewyoming.com or by calling the Immunization Section at 307-777-7952. For policy questions, please contact Lisa Wordeman, Vaccine Program Specialist, Immunization Section, at 307-777-2413 or lisa.wordeman@health.wyo.gov.
