Adult vaccination is critical to ensuring healthy ageing for everyone. Achieving a high rate of adult vaccination equitably can help increase overall population health and reduce healthcare costs and health inequities. However, adult vaccination rates generally remain low in the U.S., especially compared to child vaccination rates. In particular, the most vulnerable populations, such as those in the Medicaid program, witness disproportionately low vaccination rates. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the drivers of vaccination in these populations to evaluate appropriate policies and efforts for enhancing these rates.

This report collates and utilizes state-level provider (pharmacists and office-based physicians) reimbursement data for influenza vaccine supply and administration for Medicaid fee-for-service populations and state-level influenza vaccination rates in these populations to provide an assessment of the relationship between these two variables. This assessment showcases the variations in reimbursement amount across states and the impact this can have on vaccination rates. This analysis is intended to serve as an important input into policy discussions around enhancing the Medicaid vaccination rates.