Rotavirus Vaccine Coverage

BULLETIN To: Small Group Health Insurance Carriers Re: Rotavirus Vaccine Coverage Date: May 5, 1999 Bulletin: Life and Health 99-8 Please be advised that the required childhood immunization preventive services benefit in Maryland has recently changed to include benefits for the Rotavirus vaccine. COMAR 31.11.06.03A(9) requires coverage for preventive services that are required to be offered by a federally qualified health maintenance organization. Title 42, Part 417.101(a)(8)(vi) of the Code of Federal Regulations requires federally qualified HMOs to make available pediatric and adult immunizations in accord with accepted medical practice. Please be advised that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control (ACIP) has recently added the Rotavirus vaccine to its recommended childhood immunization schedule. This vaccine was approved by the ACIP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. In March 1999, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, with approval from the Maryland State Medical Society, officially revised its recommended schedule to include this new vaccine. Information regarding the Rotavirus vaccine and the ACIP resolutions, including a fact sheet on the Rotavirus vaccine, can be found on the internet at www.CDC.gov and www.CDC.gov/nip/vfc. Please inform the appropriate persons in your company about this new benefit so that claims for this vaccine are paid properly. It is our assumption that this change will not necessitate a revision to the health insurance contracts, since the Comprehensive Standard Health Benefit Plan is written with general references to preventive services. If you have any questions about this bulletin, please contact the Maryland Insurance Administration at 410-468-2170. Donna B. Imhoff Associate Commissioner