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Getting Your Walgreens Flu Shots in 2021

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Updated Aug 2021

As we go into winter, it is really important, especially this year, to get our flu shots, so we can halt the community spread and make life a little safer for our elderly loved ones. Although Covid-19 has a higher death rate than the flu, the flu can also lead to many deaths and health complications, and particularly so in the elderly.

At Walgreens you can book an appointment for a flu shot online, use their app or just walk on in and ask for a flu shot. The flu vaccines start $41.99 if you don’t have Medical Insurance, but if you do, it is very often free. For those with Medicare Part B there is nothing to pay.

 

Which flu vaccines are available at Walgreens ?

 

This year Walgreens is offering the following types of flu vaccines  –

 

  • quadrivalent flu vaccines
  • high dose flu vaccines designed to give a greater immune response for seniors over 65 years

 

Don’t forget your insurance card, a photo ID to your appointment, and if you can to complete the assessment/consent form in advance, and which you can download and print out here.

How to arrange your flu shot at Walgreens ?

 

How you can organize going to get a flu shot at Walgreens –

 

  • you can book an appointment online on the Walgreens website
  • you can use the Walgreens App to book an appointment
  • you can walk into a Walgreens and get a flu shot
  • you can call 1-800-WALGREENS (1-800-925-4733)
  • and don’t forget to download the consent form to speed things up when you get there

 

Find a Walgreens near you

 

You can use the Walgreens store locator tool here to find a Walgreens near you.

 

Schedule an appointment online

 

To book an appointment, you can go online and use the Walgreens online store locator here and then book an appointment for a flu shot at that store.

To speed up your actual appointment, you may also want to download the Informed Consent For Vaccination Form  here, and fill that out prior to going to the Walgreens pharmacy.

You will also need to take a valid ID, insurance, and a face mask which you will be required to wear in the store.

 

Schedule an appointment with the Walgreens App

 

On the Walgreens Mobile App, you can book an appointment for a flu shot at one of their pharmacies, via “Walgreens Find Care”.

The same as before applies for downloading the Informed Consent for Vaccination form  here, and filling it out before you go for your shot flu if you want to speed things up.

Again, you  need to take a valid ID, your medical insurance card and a face mask to wear for the time you are inside the store.

 

Walk-in appointments

 

You can walk in to any Walgreens pharmacy and ask for a flu shot without an appointment – in this case you don’t know how long it will take, and you may have to wait awhile until someone who can administer the flu shot is available.

Before you go, you can still download and fill out the Informed Consent for Vaccination Form to speed things up once you get to Walgreens.

You will still need to take a valid ID, a medical insurance card and a face mask to wear in the store.

Walgreens in-store flu shots

 

Safety measures at Walgreens during the Covid-19 pandemic

Walgreens have reinstated face cover requirements for all Walgreens team members – regardless of vaccination status.

DEERFIELD, Ill., Aug. 3, 2021 – As many states continue to see increasing levels of COVID-19 activity due to the Delta variant, we have reinstated face cover requirements for all Walgreens team members – regardless of vaccination status – in our stores, distribution centers and offices nationwide, effective Aug. 4.  
 
We continue to monitor and follow the latest guidance from the CDC and local and state health officials, and we encourage all customers, including those who are vaccinated, to wear face covers in our stores to help limit the spread of COVID-19.  

The text above is taken directly from the Walgreens website, and was posted August 03, 2021.

You can find the page here – https://news.walgreens.com/newspackages/covid-19.htm

Pharmacy staff administering the flu shots are wearing face masks, plastic face shields and protective gloves.

Customers in the stores are encouraged to wear a mask to help stem the spread of Covid-19, and when they are getting their flu jab –

Patients are required to wear face covers while receiving their shot.

You can find that text in the frequently asked questions on the website here – https://www.walgreens.com/topic/pharmacy/seasonal-flu.jsp

Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Walgreens ?

 

If you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, you get one free flu shot per flu season if you use a Medicare-enrolled provider who accepts assignment.

Walgreens is a Medicare-enrolled provider, and they do accept assignment, so there is no deductible or coinsurance to pay, and they will bill Medicare directly.

You just need to have the Walgreens pharmacist update your information with your primary care doctor.

 

How much does a flu shot cost at Walgreens without insurance ?

 

At Walgreens if you don’t have insurance, flu vaccines cost –

 

  • quadrivalent flu vaccine – $31.99
  • high does flu vaccine – $54.00

Why should the elderly get flu shots ?

 

The groups of people who are at the greatest risk from catching the flu virus are –

 

  • the elderly
  • young children under the age of 5
  • people with certain underlying health conditions

 

Each year in the United States, people over 65 years account for –

 

  • 90% of all “flu-related deaths”
  • 60% of “flu-related hospital stays”

 

The source of the statistics is: NCOA Center for Benefits Access – “Vaccines: What Medicare pays for” which you can look at here.

One of the best ways of protecting against these deaths and hospital stays is to have a yearly flu vaccine – it doesn’t eliminate the chance of catching the flu entirely, but it does give some protection, and if everyone gets it, the community spread is both slowed and reduced.

Flu vaccines come in both a regular strength vaccine, and in a high strength vaccine.

The majority of elderly adults are usually prescribed the high strength vaccine.

With each additional year, an elderly person who comes into contact with the flu virus becomes increasingly likely to catch the flu – the older elderly adults grow, the less resistance their immune systems have to the flu virus.

And with age the chances of developing serious complications from having flu, such as pneumonia, also increase.

Underlying health conditions are another factor which can put a person’s health at greater risk from the flu virus.

Certain underlying health conditions can increase the risk of greater complications from the flu virus, and these include –

 

  • heart disease
  • asthma or COPD
  • diabetes
  • liver disease
  • kidney disease
  • a compromised immune system

 

The section of the population with the highest percentage of underlying health conditions are the elderly.

The odds are stacked against the elderly in relation to the flu, so all the more reason to make sure that your elderly loved ones get a flu shot each year, so long as their primary care doctor has no reasons to the contrary.

What other vaccines are available at Walgreens ?

 

The following vaccines are also available at Walgreens pharmacies –

 

  • Tetanus
  • Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Td/Tdap)
  • Varicella
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Zoster
  • Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
  • Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PSV23)
  • Meningococcal
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)

Does Medicare cover flu shots at Rite Aid ?

 

If you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, you are covered for one flu shot per season, and you can have that shot at Rite Aid.

Rite Aid is Medicare-enrolled and accepts assignment, so with Medicare Part B you have no deductible and no coinsurance to pay.

Rite Aid will go ahead and bill Medicare for the flu shot.

Remember to ask the pharmacist to forward the flu shot information to your primary care doctor.

How much is the flu vaccine at Rite Aid without insurance ?

 

Without insurance, a flu vaccine at Rite Aid costs –

 

  • quadrivalent flu vaccine – $31.99
  • high dose flu vaccine – $60.99

 

Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Walmart ?

 

Medicare covers one flu shot per flu season, so long as you are enrolled in Medicare Part B – flu season runs from November to April.

You can have your flu shot for free with any provider who is Medicare-enrolled and who accepts assignment, without any deductible or coinsurance to pay.

Walmart’s pharmacies are Medicare-enrolled, accept assignment, so you are covered for a flu shot at Walmart.

Ask the Walmart pharmacist to forward the flu shot information to your primary care doctor.

 

What is the cost of a flu vaccine at Walmart without insurance ?

 

A flu vaccine without insurance at a Walmart pharmacy will cost you –

 

  • quadrivalent flu vaccine – $25.00
  • high dose flu vaccine (this is for 0ver 65’s) – $48.00

 

Does Medicare cover flu shots at Costco ?

 

If you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, Medicare pays for you to have one flu shot per flu season, and it can be at any  Medicare enrolled  provider who accepts assignment.

Costco is a Medicare-enrolled pharmacy which accepts assignment, so if you have Medicare Part B a flu shot at Costco is free, just so long as it is your only flu shot in that flu season.

You will have no deductible or coinsurance to pay.

Costco will bill Medicare directly, and you should not have any out-of-pocket payments either.

Make sure that you also ask the Pharmacist to forward the flu shot information to your primary care doctor.

What does a flu shot at Costco cost without insurance ?

 

Without insurance, flu shots at Costco cost –

 

  • Afluria or Flucelvax quadrivalent flu vaccines (members and non-members) – $19.99
  • Fluad high-dose flu vaccine for seniors – $46.99

 

Does Medicare pay for flu shots at CVS ?

 

If you have Medicare Part B, Medicare will pay for you to have one flu shot per flu season, and it can be at any pharmacy/provider which is Medicare enrolled and which accepts assignment.

CVS is a Medicare-enrolled pharmacy which accepts assignment, so for those with Medicare Part B a flu shot at CVS is free, as long as it is your only flu shot in that flu season.

There is no deductible or coinsurance to pay.

CVS will bill Medicare for the flu shot, and you should have no out-of-pocket payments either.

Lastly, don’t forget to ask the pharmacist to forward your flu shot information to your primary care doctor.

 

How much is a flu shot at CVS without insurance ?

 

If you are paying out of pocket flu shots at CVS cost –

 

  • Seasonal flu vaccine -$31.99
  • Fluzone high-dose flu vaccine for seniors – $51.99

I’m Gareth, the author and owner of Looking After Mom and Dad.com

I have been a caregiver for over 10 yrs and share all my tips here.

Gareth Williams

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