US physicians could end vaccinations

Over one in five (21%) family physicians polled in a US survey has seriously considered ending vaccinations for privately-insured patients, the Associated Press reports. Even in the case of pediatricians, the figure is 5%, although one of them, Herschel Lessin, told the AP: "for us to give up vaccines would hurt our core business, because that's why kids come in."

The threat of vaccine boycotts by doctors is not based on safety concerns or even a religious objection to immunization procedures. Instead, University of Michigan researcher Gary Freed, co-author of two studies on the issue, found that poor reimbursement levels are to blame. The data indicated that one in 10 physicians takes a loss when administering a child vaccine. Meanwhile, the variation in insurance payments to doctors for each dose of pneumococcal disease vaccine can range from an $11 loss to a $40 profit.