The Claim:
A video from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing “Voices of the Vaccine Injured” from July of last year is going around again. In it, several people claim that doctors exaggerate how dangerous vaccine-preventable diseases are because they make so much money from vaccines.
The Facts:
Pediatrics is one of the lowest-paid specialties in medicine.
In the video, Brian Hooker claims that health insurance companies pay pediatricians $200 to $600 for each child who gets all their vaccines. But the claim is about HMOs, which are health insurance companies.
Health insurance companies try to save money. Most insurance plans do not charge families for childhood vaccines. Insurance companies also help pay for the vaccine supply and for doctors to give the shots.
So why would they do that? Vaccines help prevent serious illness and hospital visits. That saves insurance companies money.
Some doctors may get small rewards for meeting vaccine goals, but this does not mean vaccines are unsafe or unnecessary. It means insurance companies want to prevent costly illnesses.
Disclaimer
Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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