Do Doctors Make Money Off Vaccines? A Look At Incentives And Bonus Structures
Friday, Sep 05, 2025 - 03:40 PM
Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,
“Doctors are being paid to vaccinate, not to evaluate,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a recent video.
“They’re pressured to follow the money, not the science.”
Doctors administer dozens of vaccines to many children in the United States. Adults are also advised to receive multiple shots.
What Does the Literature Say?
A review of studies confirms that some doctors profit from vaccinating.
In a 2020 paper, researchers found when analyzing three years’ worth of vaccination claims for five Colorado clinics that reimbursements averaged 125 percent of costs, making administering vaccines “financially favorable across the practices.”
Another study found that various providers in North Carolina, when receiving the maximum payment for reimbursement from insurers or the government, profited from vaccinating patients. Even if they received the minimum payment, pediatric and family medicine practices still reported positive income, according to the 2019 study.
On the other hand, other doctors say the costs of administering certain vaccines to certain people exceed the vaccine payments.
In a survey of 34 pediatricians, for instance, more than half said they do not profit from vaccinating, according to a 2009 paper.
A number of practitioners have also said they face escalating costs associated with vaccination, such as staffing, leading them to stop or consider stopping providing vaccines to patients with private insurance.
Reimbursement for vaccinating patients varies depending on whether patients have private or public insurance. Under a program called Vaccines for Children, the government also provides vaccines to doctors for free. It does not pay for related costs, but doctors can charge an administration fee that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “helps providers offset their costs of doing business,” with the maximum varying by state.
more:
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/do-doctors-make-money-vaccines-look-incentives-and-bonus-structures