Recommended vaccines for Medicare recipients

DEAR SAVVY SENIOR – My husband and I recently turned 65 and would like to find out which vaccines are recommended and covered by Medicare? – New Beneficiaries

DEAR NEW – All recommended vaccines for adults, age 65 and older, should be covered by either Medicare Part B or Part D, but there are some coverage challenges you should be aware of. Here’s a rundown of which vaccines are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and how Medicare covers them.

• COVID-19: Even though Covid-19 is no longer a public health emergency, it can still cause severe illness, particularly in older adults. Because the Covid virus continues to mutate, new vaccines are being developed to keep pace, so the CDC recommends that all seniors stay up to date with the latest Covid vaccines, including booster shots.

All Covid-19 shots are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B.

• Flu: Considered an annual vaccination, most people of all ages receive flu shots in the fall when flu season begins. The CDC recommends seniors, 65 and older get a high-dose flu shot for extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot offers. The Fluzone High Dose Quadrivalent, FLUAD Quadrivalent and Flublok Quadrivalent are your three options.

Annual flu shots are covered under Medicare Part B.

• Pneumonia: These vaccines help protect against pneumococcal disease, which can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other infections. The CDC recommends everyone 65 and older get a pneumococcal vaccine. There are several different vaccine options available, so talk to your doctor or pharmacists to find out which is best for you or visit the CDC’S Pneumococcal Vaccination webpage at Cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/public/ index.html.

Medicare Part B covers both single dose and twodose pneumococcal shots once in your lifetime.

• Shingles: Caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, shingles is a painful, blistering skin rash that affects more than 1 million Americans every year. All people over age 50 are recommended to get the two-dose Shingrix vaccine, which is given two to six months apart, even if you previously received Zostavax. In 2020, Shingrix