Assessments
A1. Why did the Alaska legislature form the Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program (AVAP)?
The Alaska Legislature formed AVAP to preserve universal-select access to state-supplied vaccines for children and to provide select state-supplied vaccines for covered adults. AVAP enables the Alaska Immunization Program to purchase vaccines and distribute them at no financial cost to health care providers.
A2. How does the program save money?
By purchasing vaccines at a bulk contract rate, Alaska qualifies for significant discounts. AVAP funds vaccine purchases with assessments collected from insurers and other payers.
A3. How does AVAP work for payers and providers?
A4. Who oversees the program?
A5. Are insurance carriers the only entities paying the assessment?
A6. What does "assessable entity" mean?
A7. Must both the employer and the insurer, or third-party administrator (TPA) administering the plan, pay the assessment for a given covered life?
A8. Must Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans pay the assessment?
A9. Are publicly funded health care benefit plans mandated to participate in AVAP?
A10. How are an entity's assessments determined?
A11. What is the current assessment rate?
A12. Are the childhood and adult vaccine-eligible populations combined to form a single assessment cost per payer?
A13. Are payments made by assessment payers accountable as medical expenses?
A14. Does the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) preempt any provisions of the AVAP?
A15. Where can I find more details about the AVAP assessment rate calculation?
A16. When are assessment payments due?
A17. What if AVAP collects too little?
A18. What if AVAP collects too much?
A19. If I am a Payer, where do I go to complete the online assessment?
A20. Are there any tutorials on the use of this system?
A21. What if I have registered in the assessment system, but I need to change some of my information?
A22. If I make a mistake in my report, how can I correct it?
A23. I accidentally overpaid. Can I be reimbursed?
A24. How do I submit my payment?
A25. What if I submit a late report or payment?
A26. How do I create a password for the assessment system on www.akvaccine.org?
A27. What should I do if my company has created a password for the assessment system on www.akvaccine.org, but I no longer have it?
A28. Can payers opt out of the Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program?
A29. Is the assessment voluntary?
A30. Will participating payers save money starting in 2016?
Covered Lives
C1. Must entities report only child covered lives, or should adult covered lives be included as well?
C2. What are “adult covered lives”?
C3. What are “child covered lives”?
C4. Must an entity file reports even if it does not provide medical benefits and therefore has zero covered lives?
C5. If an entity files a Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report, but it later has covered lives, what should it do?
C6. If my company has filed an Annual Zero Covered Lives Report, when should we file our next report?
Government Programs
G1. Has AVAP changed anything for the federally funded Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) or state-sponsored medical plans?
G2. Do providers still need to screen for VFC eligibility?
Providers
P1. Does this program affect how providers receive vaccine?
P2. What are the benefits for my practice in receiving state-supplied vaccine through AVAP?
AVAP is able to buy vaccines at discounted rates off a bulk contract compared to market prices. Providers can then receive state-supplied vaccines for all covered patients and avoid the financial and administrative burdens of purchasing vaccines and maintaining separate vaccine storage and tracking systems.
P3. Can providers still purchase vaccines privately?
P4. Do providers need to pay for state-supplied vaccines for children and covered adults?
P5. How does this program affect patients?
P6. Are health care providers who care for uninsured adults required to participate in the assessment?
P7. Could providers get vaccine for uninsured adults, funded by surplus funds, even if they don't opt in?
P8. Will providers incur a higher assessment cost for adult vaccines than they are currently paying?
P9. How will providers be compensated for the administration of vaccines?
Since the assessment only covers the cost of the vaccine, providers will bill either the payers or the patients directly for vaccine administration fees, as their current practice.
P10. Are pharmacists able to participate in the program?
P11. Should providers bill $0.00 or $0.01 for state-supplied vaccines?
P12. How do providers enroll to receive state-supplied vaccine?
Providers who currently receive state-supplied vaccine will enroll for the statewide program during their annual Vaccine Distribution Program re-enrollment period. New providers will need to initiate enrollment through the Alaska Immunization Program. Providers can order state-supplied vaccine as soon as they complete this enrollment.
P13. How can I get updated information on AVAP?
P14. What patient eligibility (VFC) Codes should be used?
P15. Will providers have a choice of which vaccine brands to use?
Vaccines
V1. Who sets vaccine policy?
V2. What vaccines are covered by the Alaska Immunization Program?
V3. Is the cost of seasonal flu vaccine included in the assessment rates?
V4. Does AVAP establish a vaccine mandate?
V5. What is VacTrAK?
V6. Does AVAP impact my taxes?
No. AVAP does not impact taxes as it is not funded by taxpayers. AVAP collects the costs of vaccines and program expenses from insurers, third-party administrators, and other payers who are already obligated to pay health care costs for their beneficiaries.
V7. How does AVAP know the amount of vaccine it needs to purchase?
V8. Does DOH expect vaccine uptake rates to increase once AVAP goes into effect?