Study: Response to receiving COVID vaccine is mixed

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  • Study: Response to receiving COVID vaccine is mixed
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Only 55% of adults with private health insurance were willing to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 when it is released, according to the most recent Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey.

One-quarter of the adults surveyed said they were not willing to receive the vaccine, 9% reported “It depends,” and 12% were not sure, EBRI said in a news release.

Most (89%) respondents thought their insurance should cover the full cost of the vaccine. However, one- half were willing to pay $100 or less to receive the vaccine, and 28% were willing to pay more than $100.

The survey also found that use of health care services dropped considerably because of the pandemic, with one in five people re- porting that either they or a relative delayed medical care as a result of COVID-19. Nearly one-half (48%) reported that care has been or will be rescheduled for

2020, and 31% reported that care has been or will be re-scheduled for 2021.

However, 19% reported that they would not reschedule procedures, raising questions about whether that care was necessary or whether lack of care might be harmful to people.

These findings may be due to the timing of the survey. In late July to early September, COVID-19 cases had just peaked and were in decline. With the recent surge in cases, combined with Pfizer’s announcement that its vaccine was 90% effective, public opinion toward a vaccine may have changed since the summer.

The 2020 Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey is an online study of 2,411 Americans ages 21–64 with private health insurance coverage. It was fielded in August and September.

The survey was supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Conduent HR, HealthEquity, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Prudential Financial, Segal, TIAA, UMB Financial and Voya Financial.

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