(NewsNation) — Finding the vaccine to prevent the spread of mpox is not difficult. But paying for it could be very difficult in the U.S., especially for those at the highest risk of contracting what used to be known as monkeypox.
Private insurance companies in the U.S. aren’t required to cover the cost of the mpox vaccine Jynneos, which costs $270 a dose. The firms will be required to cover the vaccine starting on Jan. 1.
“This is a massive bump in the road, and especially because it’s happening in the middle of deep concern about another outbreak,” Dr. Stacey Trooskin told The New York Times. Trooskin is the executive medical officer of the Mazzoni Center, a large sexual health clinic in Philadelphia.
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Along with the high cost, privacy may also be a factor in some reluctance to seek out the vaccine. Health professionals say that gay and bisexual men, those living with HIV and sex workers should seek out the vaccine.
However young gay men may not have health insurance, and others may be reluctant to get the Jynneos vaccine because they are not out to their families.
Last month, the city of El Paso, Texas confirmed two cases of mpox. The latest iteration of the virus is responsible for thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths in central Africa. Cases have also been confirmed outside of Africa, including Sweden and the U.K.
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Earlier this year, the White House announced that it would donate one million doses of the mpox vaccine to the Central African countries at the center of the deadly outbreak.
There may be some alternatives, however. Some local health departments, such as Chicago, Los Angeles County and the state of Virginia, are offering the mpox vaccine for free.