Blue Cross And Blue Shield Companies Announce They Will Cover
Administration Of H1N1 Vaccine

WASHINGTON – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today
announced a Blue system-wide commitment to providing coverage for the
administration of the H1N1 vaccine.
"The recent announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) about H1N1 underscores the need to ensure as many
people as possible are vaccinated.  To that end, the nation's 39
independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are making a collective
effort to enable their policyholders to receive the H1N1 vaccine," said
Scott P. Serota, president and CEO of BCBSA.  "Blue companies are in
every ZIP code in America and it's critical that they facilitate
vaccination and educate their membersabout how to protect themselves
from H1N1."
Federal employees and retirees covered by the Blue Cross and Blue
Shield Government-wide Service Benefit Plan (Federal Employee Program or
FEP®) will also receive benefits for the administration of the H1N1
vaccine in 2009 and in 2010.
The vaccine is expected to be available this fall and the CDC has
recommended that certain groups of the population receive the 2009 H1N1
vaccine first.  Vaccination efforts will initially focus on five target
groups including:
1.      Pregnant women
2.      People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months
of age
3.      Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
4.      Persons between the ages of 6 months through 24 years
5.      People ages 25 through 64 years who have chronic health
disorders or compromised immune systems.
Additional information about the H1N1 vaccine and related materials can
be found on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov ( http://www.cdc.gov/ ).  For
more information about what is covered under your specific benefits,
please contact your local Blue Cross and Blue Shield company.  A listing
of companies can be found on the BCBSA website at www.bcbs.com (
http://www.bcbs.com/ ).  For more information about FEP benefits, visit
www.fepblue.org.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of
39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue
Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more
than 100 million members– one-in-three Americans.  For more information
on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies,
please visit www.BCBS.com ( http://www.bcbs.com/ ).

Kelly K. Miller
Director
External Affairs
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
1310 G St. NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-626-4825 Office
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is made up of 39
independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue
Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more
than 100 million – one-in-three – Americans. For more information, go to
www.bcbs.com ( file:///C:%20and%20Settings%20Data.bcbs.com ).

All this information came from:
Barbara McCarthy
Retiree Services Consultant, RC 9 & 10
Capital District Regional Office/
NYSUT HQ
800 Troy Schenectady Road
Latham, NY 12110
518-783-7977
fax 518-783-4934