GLAD Praises Blue Cross/Blue Shield Decision to Cover HPV Vaccine for Males
GLAD praised the decision by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) to cover the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for males. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccine for girls aged 9-26 to protect them against cervical cancer, and boys of the same age to protect against anal cancer.
GLAD had urged Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to make such a policy change because of the vaccine’s health benefits for gay men.
“This decision by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts prioritizes and promotes the health of their LGBTQ subscribers,” said Bennett Klein, GLAD’s AIDS Law Project Director. “We’re thrilled that they have joined the Commonwealth’s other major insurers in providing coverage for this important preventative measure. Now it is up to patients to make sure they request this vaccine from their doctors.”
According to BCBSMA, their policy change anticipates a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices in October, at which the ACIP is expected to recommend the HPV vaccine for males.
In the interim, BCBSMA members can ask their doctors to submit a “request for individual consideration” to obtain the vaccine as with any other drug. According to BCBSMA, such requests would be routinely reviewed on a case-specific basis with exceptions to include patients with serious health conditions or someone who fell outside of the recommended age range for administering the vaccine, as examples.
If the vaccine is approved when ACIP meets in October then BCBSMA has committed to issuing a formal communication to providers informing them that the vaccine is now a covered drug by BCBSMA.
In the event ACIP meets in October but does not recommend the vaccine for males, BCBSMA will reconsider its decision to cover the vaccine but could decide to cover it, having already taken the steps to formalize a policy for providing the vaccine for males.