COLUMBIA, S.C., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Companion HealthCare today announced that it will cover FluMist(R), a nasal spray influenza vaccine that is expected to be more widely used this winter due to severe shortages of flu shot vaccine.
The coverage will begin immediately for Companion HealthCare's 192,000 members. The vaccine is made from live, modified virus and is approved for use in healthy individuals ages 5-49.
For young children and people over age 50 and for members with chronic diseases, Companion HealthCare recommends that they contact their local public health department to find out where flu shots are available.
"Given that physicians and public health clinics are reserving the flu shot for high risk patients, Companion HealthCare wanted to provide some alternate coverage to help the rest of our members stay healthy so we decided to cover FluMist," said Mary Mazzola Spivey, chief operating officer of Companion HealthCare.
FluMist is administered by healthcare professionals or pharmacists and is made by a different process and by a different manufacturer from the flu shots.
Companion HealthCare (http://www.companionhealthcare.com/) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina (http://www.southcarolinablues.com/). Both are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Companion HealthCare has an A+ rating from AM Best, and an Excellent Accreditation status, the highest level awarded, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
Companion HealthCareCONTACT: Elizabeth Hammond, +1-803-264-4626, orElizabeth.Hammond@bcbssc.com, for Companion HealthCare
Web site: http://www.southcarolinablues.com/
Web site: http://www.companionhealthcare.com/