The Department of Insurance, working closely with these Delaware-licensed insurance companies, concluded the potential for a swine flu epidemic created a challenge that needed to be met with timely and decisive action.

“Even though authorization by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] for vaccinations is necessary before coverage is authorized, Delaware’s health insurers have put the public first by making a necessary exception for the administration of swine flu (H1N1) vaccines. Our insurers, by going well beyond what is required by law, have earned our gratitude for this notable decision.

By taking action that could very well be instrumental in reducing the possible proliferation of this strain of flu and thus save lives, our insurance companies have demonstrated that when the public and private sectors partner up and work together, the public is the winner.”

Timothy Constantine, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware, said that because the illness is expected to escalate this fall, his company wants to ensure its policyholders have coverage for the H1N1 vaccine. “The groups the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] has recommended to receive the H1N1 vaccine are young people, pregnant women, medical services personnel and those with underlying conditions because they appear to be the most vulnerable to swine Fflu,” said Constantine.

“We are pleased to be a part of an effort where we at Aetna, our fellow industry members and the appropriate government agencies are collaborating to insure that we are all well prepared to successfully meet the challenges of this and any future public health emergency before it strikes,” said Patrick Young, president of small group and middle market business, Mid-Atlantic Region.

Marc Malloy, CEO of Coventry Health Care of Delaware, said Coventry has been working on plans to provide access to medical services quickly if a public health crisis occur.

Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Independence Blue Cross, the parent of AmeriHealth Delaware, said his company is monitoring the spread of the H1N1 and seasonal flu.

The CDC expects to have 45 to 52 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine available for distribution by mid-October, then more available weekly to total up to 195 million doses by year end. According to Dr. Jay Butler, director of the CDC’s H1N1 vaccine task force, healthcare providers will order the vaccine through their states, which will coordinate with CDC and receive the vaccine and related supplies from a central distributor.

In a teleconference with hospitals and other healthcare providers, Department of Health and Human Services officials said the H1N1 vaccine and ancillary supplies will be available to healthcare providers free of charge, and Medicare and Medicaid will reimburse providers for administering the vaccine to beneficiaries. State health departments are expected to post ordering information on their websites.