Where to Look for Free COVID Vaccines If You Have No Health Insurance

Fact checked by Nick BlackmerFact checked by Nick Blackmer

Key Takeaways

• COVID-19 vaccines now cost around $200 for people without health insurance.

• Most people with health insurance can still receive the vaccine at no cost, but it’s important to stay in-network to avoid being charged.

• Limited free vaccine options remain through community health centers, local health departments, and patient assistance programs.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available, but they’re no longer free of charge for people without insurance.

Most people with private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid can still get the vaccine without having to pay out-of-pocket. For those without insurance at all or without coverage for the vaccine, Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID shot could cost $200 at a pharmacy.

“It’s a lot more challenging now,” Adriane Casalotti, MPH, chief of government and public affairs of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told Verywell. “The vaccine has gone back into the traditional healthcare system, which can be difficult to access for people without insurance or who are underinsured.”

Community health centers and local health departments may offer the vaccines for free still, but the steep cost of the shots makes it difficult for some programs to afford to buy the vaccines, said Marcus Plescia, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Related: New COVID Shots Are Here. How to Time Your COVID, Flu, and RSV Shots This Fall

Even if you do have health insurance, make sure you get your vaccine from a pharmacist or doctor who's in your insurance network. Otherwise, your insurer can bill you for the full cost of the vaccine, Plescia added.

This is the first time COVID vaccines are not available free of charge for people without insurance. The federal government paid the cost of the vaccines for everyone from the time they were first available in early 2021 until May 2023 when the public health emergency ended. Afterward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the “Bridge Access” program, which covered the vaccines for people who were uninsured and underinsured.

However, Bridge Access was discontinued at the end of August 2024. There are no current plans to reestablish it, Melissa Bowers, a CDC spokesperson, told Verywell.

She said the CDC has allocated $62 million for state and local health departments to buy and distribute COVID-19 vaccines but has not yet released the funds.

Related: How to Get Free COVID Tests This Fall

Where Can You Find Free COVID Vaccines?

It might be hard to find free or affordable COVID vaccines, but it’s important to keep trying, “especially for people with underlying health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes that put them at risk for severe disease if they get the virus,” said Amesh Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Here are some options that may be helpful for getting the COVID-19 vaccine for free or at a discount:

Patient Assistance Programs

A Pfizer spokesperson told Verywell that it will have a payment assistance program for people who are uninsured but that it is “not active yet.” You can check pfizerrxpathways.com periodically for updated information.

Moderna, another COVID vaccine manufacturer, had no information about any patient financial assistance program on its website and did not respond to Verywell’s request for comments.

Novavax, which makes a protein-based COVID shot, told Verywell it will not be providing financial assistance for the vaccine.

Related: How to Get Paxlovid for Free

Local Health Departments

State health departments typically allocate funds to local health departments for distributing the shots to community vaccine clinics or health centers.

You can call your local health department to get more information. You may find more free vaccine availability a few weeks from now when the CDC releases its funds, and health departments may have received other funding or freed up other funds to pay for the COVID vaccine by then.

Community Health Centers

Community health centers are set up to provide comprehensive care for the uninsured, underinsured, or those with limited access to health care.

Generally, you have to be a member of the community health center to get medical care or vaccines, according to Casalotti.

If you're not a member, you can contact the center to see if you can book an appointment and learn about other care it provides. You can find a local community health center through the Find a Health Center directory maintained by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

However, “vaccine availability may depend on the individual health center” because of limited funding, said Allison Simmons, a spokesperson for the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Related: Everyone Needs an Updated COVID Shot This Fall, CDC Says

Free and Charitable Clinics

While community health centers get funding from the federal and state governments, free clinics rely on donations and volunteer staff.

Ariana Gordillo de Vivero, senior director of strategic initiatives at the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), said she is currently working with partners to find funding to provide COVID-19 vaccines free of charge. If a clinic had a small administrative fee, it would be waived if the person cannot afford it.

Those without insurance coverage can find a free clinic through NAFC’s directory.

“Even if a clinic doesn’t have the COVID-19 vaccine on hand, they will have information about other resources for the vaccines such as local health department plans for clinics and distribution,” Gordillo de Vivero told Verywell.

Discount Pharmacy Cards

You can look for discounted pharmacy cards on Singlecare and GoodRx, or ask a chain pharmacist to look for prescription savings.

Walgreens, for example, has an online “RX Savings Finder.” The price for Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine was listed at $147.32, a saving of $54.32 off the list price for people who used either Goodrx or SingleCare. Spikevax, Moderna’s COVID vaccine, was available for $152.65 instead of $201. Novavax can be as low as $149.56 when presenting a SingleCare card at Walgreens.

What This Means For You

If you're uninsured, you can still look for free or low-cost COVID vaccines at community health centers or by using discount programs at pharmacies. Staying up-to-date on your vaccinations is essential, especially if you have underlying health conditions that increase your risk of severe COVID.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.