Public claims allege financial bonuses drive pediatricians' vaccine recommendations. Examination of vaccine administration shows pediatric practices often make little profit or lose money on vaccines. Costs include purchasing, storing, insuring and monitoring vaccines, specialized refrigeration, backup power and nursing staff to administer doses. Evidence-based science, medical guidance and years of safety research underpin childhood vaccination recommendations. Financial calculations and operational expenses make profit-driven vaccination strategies counterintuitive in most pediatric practices.
It makes sense to approach some marketing efforts with skepticism. Scams, artificial intelligence and deceptive social media posts are common, with people you don't know seeking to profit from your behavior. But should people extend this same skepticism to pediatricians who advise vaccines for children? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said financial bonuses are driving such recommendations.
A close look at the process by which vaccines are administered shows pediatric practices make little profit - and sometimes lose money - on vaccines. Four experienced pediatricians told us evidence-based science and medicine drives pediatricians' childhood vaccination recommendations. Years of research and vaccine safety data also bolster these recommendations. It costs money to stock, store and administer a vaccine.
Pediatricians sometimes store thousands of dollars worth of vaccines in specialized medical-grade refrigeration units, which can be expensive. They pay to insure vaccines in case anything happens to them. Some practices buy thermostats that monitor vaccines' temperature and backup generators to run the refrigerators in the event of a power outage. They also pay nursing staff to administer vaccines. 'Vaccines are hugely expensive,' said Dr. Jesse Hackell, a retired general pediatrician and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on pediatric workforce.
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