Lapeer County approves contract to bill Medicare Part D so health department can provide certain vaccines to seniors

The Lapeer County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a contract with TransactRx that will allow the Lapeer County Health Department to bill Medicare Part D for certain vaccines, the board heard at its meeting.

The contract, presented by Lapeer County Health Director Jim Henry, will let the health department bill Medicare Part D for vaccines such as RSV and Shingrix (shingles), Henry said, and the service “is a prescription billing service that allow[s] the health department to bill Medicare part d.” He told the board the arrangement would carry “no cost for the service to the health department or the county general fund.”

County officials and the public framed the issue as one of access for older residents. Henry and Tony, the department’s nursing administrator, described long pharmacy waits and the difficulty some seniors face when pharmacies have limited staff or locations. “My mom’s 86. She had to go to a Walgreens to get vaccinated. She sat there for 2 and a half hours,” the nursing administrator said, explaining why the department wants to offer certain vaccines directly. Henry added that some vaccines are covered through Medicare Part D as a prescription benefit and that being able to bill those plans would let the health department better serve seniors who request the shots.

Public comment at the meeting was mixed. Carol Winder, a resident, said she had reviewed the contract and voiced concern that the change might be used to “get seniors and the elderly into the health department” and asked the board to consider liability and whether doctors or pharmacies would be bypassed. Winder said, “I personally do not like this idea,” and said she had read the full contract.

Commissioners asked how offering vaccines through the health department would affect local pharmacies. Commissioner Scott McMahon said he was concerned about government services competing with local businesses, noting his preference to avoid direct competition with private pharmacies. Henry and the nursing administrator replied the department already provides many vaccinations and that this contract primarily affects a subset of seniors who have trouble accessing vaccines covered under Medicare Part D; the service would remain optional and available only to patients requesting it.

Henry said the health department also plans to continue vaccination events at senior centers and that the TransactRx billing arrangement would allow the department to provide additional covered vaccines when requested.

After discussion, the board approved the contract; the motion was made, seconded and carried with an affirmative voice vote.

Looking ahead, the health director said the department will continue to offer vaccines at senior centers and to bill insurers where applicable, and he emphasized that participation would be voluntary for residents.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the TransactRx contract to permit billing of Medicare Part D for certain vaccines, with no county general-fund cost specified in the contract.