If you ever have a severe skin rash that makes your skin looks like a radiation burn, the reason behind this skin disease hides under Shingles. They are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, also the chicken pox host.

Therefore, marking yourself safe from this deadly skin virus should be the topmost priority, and what better way is there than getting a vaccine? The most common vaccine for Shingles is Shingrix which FDA strongly approves.

Getting a vaccine with an insurance policy is cheaper, but that might not be possible for all the victims. So, how much does the Shingles vaccine cost without insurance? This article will provide a detailed cost analysis and other valuable information you should keep in mind.

Stay tuned!

Shingles- Causes and Symptoms

As we have said earlier, the host of Shingles infection is varicella zoster which is also the main herpes for chicken pox. Usually, someone with Shingles rash will get red blisters starting from a particular area such as the hands, neck, and so on.

There will be no life-and-death situation for someone who is affected by the Shingles virus, but the latency period of this rash is unimaginable. One key thing to stop this virus from spreading is not to itch the affected area. More itching results in an allergic reaction, which helps spread the virus all over the body.

It will be a good practice to know the possible symptoms of the Shingles virus so that one can take necessary precautions to avoid its spreading. They are as follows:

• Skin blisters feel like burning.
• Frequent itching.
• Blood clots under the skin after excessive itching.
• Headaches.
• Sudden fever.
• The patient becomes sensitive to brightness and touch.

People who have dust allergies are very certain to end up with Shingles. Again, if you already suffered from chickenpox, you are carrying the Shingles virus.

When is the right time to consult with a doctor for other medication? The shingles vaccine is mainly given to people ages not less than 50. At this age, the immune system gradually weakens, so if you suspect Shingles symptoms, you should immediately consult with an expert.

The rash can spread well and become very painful, especially around the eye. If the victim does not take the necessary steps, extreme rashes can permanently damage the eye.

Also, if any of your relatives or a family member has a tragic medical history such as cancer, immediately vaccinate them so that the Shingles virus cannot attack them.

Therefore, it is a good practice to vaccinate ourselves to eliminate the Shingles bacteria from our bodies. Many pharmaceutical companies offer insurance plans for Shingles, and the later section contains the cost analysis with or without any insurance.

Shingles Vaccine Cost

The most common federal health insurance program for the vaccine is Medicare which mainly provides vaccines for people who are aged 50 or older. Does Medicare cover an insurance plan for Shingles? Yes, they do!

If you are enrolled on the Medicare Part D plan, then getting both doses of Shingles will not cost you more than 50 dollars in each dose. To clarify, Medicare is a government organization hence the availability of vaccines might not be good enough.

Other private insurance policies also provide shingles and cost less than usual. Though it is a hassle to enroll for the insurance agreement, you are saving a buck load of dollars.

So, how much does the shingles vaccine cost without insurance? The answer is 162 dollars on each dose which rounds up to 324 dollars. The table below summarizes the cost of the Shingrix vaccine with many coupons offered by many pharmacies or insurance companies.

Health insurance companies providing Shingrix	Shingrix cost with their insurance coverages (both doses)	Shingrix cost without any insurance coverages (both doses)
Walmart	188 dollars	324 dollars
CVS Pharmacy	190 dollars
Kroger	193 dollars
Harris Teeter	193 dollars
Rite Aid	198 dollars
Walgreens	200 dollars
Medicare	100 dollars

How To Enroll in A Health Insurance Plan for Shingrix?

Medicare itself provides the most comfortable insurance plan; it includes various plans starting from part A to part D. Fortunately, Medicare part D covers the insurance for Shingrix.

But, on top of all that, you need to pay some additional costs, such as the previous deductible costs and your copay. Besides vaccine coverages, Medicare part D also has other treatment plans they offer their patients if needed.

What is the full Medicare part D coverage? It includes all the drugs needed to handle a particular sickness, disease, or virus. The categories are as follows:

• Treatment drugs for HIV/AIDS.
• Antidepressant drugs.
• Antipsychotic drugs.
• Drugs for Involuntary disorders.
• Cancer treatment drugs.

Now that you know the amount of treatments Medicare part D provides, it is necessary to know the enrolling process in this particular plan. Medicare includes an online forum service where you can fill in all the necessary information such as names, blood groups, medical histories, and many more.

The enrolling process is also available online at nearby Medicare places. Submit the application, and they will send you a notification to pay for the additional charges that are already stated above. They also notify you of their latest insurance plan updates with more cost-cutting solutions. In a way, it is the most effective vaccine insurance plan.

The later section will discuss some other ways to cross-cut the vaccine cost. Here it goes!

Shingles Vaccine- Other Cost-Cutting Solutions

Do you know how much the Shingles vaccine cost without insurance? Therefore, anyone wishes to minimize this cost as less as possible. Apart from getting an insurance plan, these are other differential ways to cheapen the vaccine cost further.

An in-network pharmacy provides you with all the facilities if you can supply them with a prescription drug plan. For example, you can visit an in-network pharmacy to consult with a doctor. Though it will additionally cost you the doctor’s visit charges, the services will be completely satisfactory.

As mentioned above, many pharmaceutical companies or retailers provide coupons for the Shingrix vaccine. Once you present the coupon to your local health department, you will get the vaccine at a low stated price.

Another way to lower the vaccine cost is to use a state pharmaceutical assistance program. This program helps to assist low-income patients by minimizing the total cost of their prescription drugs.

The last way is to get an assist from the Shingrix manufacturing company, known as GlaxoSmithKline. They feature a plan where people with less earning ability can get the vaccine at an incredibly cheap rate. The threshold value for the annual income is 32000 dollars. Any public not fulfilling this criterion is eligible to experience this offer.

Shingrix- Side Effects One Should Keep in Mind

Though injecting Shingrix inside the body will keep you safe from Shingles rash disease. But taking the virus also has some side effects, as most vaccines do.

These side effects sometimes become very troublesome to handle, and one should take immediate measures from the doctor to carefully handle the pain. If you are determined to take Shingrix, you should ensure that you are completely fit without any kind of illness.

It would help if you also mentioned to the doctors all the possible allergies you might carry. There might be some ingredients in Shingrix that can trigger your internal allergies. Therefore, if a doctor is aware of such hassles, they can provide perfect medication after the vaccine has been injected.

More About: Does Insurance Cover The Shingles Shot?

Now, let us look at the possible side effects one might suffer from after being injected with Shingrix:

• Extreme headache.
• Muscle pain, especially in the injected region.
• Drowsiness.
• Abdominal pain.
• Nausea.
• Sudden vomiting.
• Diarrhea (rare case).

Shingles- Additional Risk Factors

The first thing about the risk factor of shingles is that it is contagious. Shingles are not a dangerous virus to worry about. But getting through this disease is very troublesome.

This means if someone with Shingles comes in direct contact with someone who has never had Shingles or chickenpox, they might get affected. Therefore, we recommend keeping a Shingles-affected person in isolation until their conditions improve.

One other risk factor that includes is age. The shingles variant does not have the capability to attack young blood, and so the Shingles virus is mostly seen inside people 50 years old or even more.

Therefore, older adults in a family should be under direct supervision to avoid Shingles infection. Additionally, inject them with Shingrix to keep them safe.

Shingles- Any Permanent Health Hazard?

Let’s come to the most important questions! Does Shingles have any permanent health hazard? Well, our research included some records where people still face shingles pain after the medications are over.

This hazard is because shingles create permanent damage in the nerve fibers under the skin, which sends wrong impulse information to the brain. This phenomenon is known as postherpetic neuralgia, which keeps the pain for a longer time.

On the other hand, due to a lot of rashes around the eyesight may result in vision loss which, fortunately, is temporary. If anyone experiences vision loss after recovering from Shingles, they should immediately take the necessary eyedrops.

Shingles also create permanent damage to the skin tone. The blisters during the rash do not recover fully, leaving dark, burned marks all over the skin. As the problem enhances neurological deficiencies, some people often have facial paralysis and hearing aid.

If Shingles create such permanent damage to the body, applying the vaccine will not help any further. So, get your Shingles vaccine with or without the insurance policy as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

So, how much does the Shingles vaccine cost without insurance? The answer is 324 dollars, to be exact! The amount might sound a bit expensive, and it really is.

But the reality is one should not avoid taking the Shingles vaccine just for the cost is too high. Therefore, get some insurance strategy in your sleeves to make the vaccination process cheaper.

Do your own research and find the most efficient and cheap way to take the Shingles vaccine. For starters, Medicare comes to mind. Other than that, there are other coupons offered by many private pharmaceutical companies to provide the vaccine.

We hope this article came in handy for you! We wish you a good and healthy life!