I can tell you that insurance companies don't waste money on needless medicines, it hard to get them to pay for even necessary treatment, however, they believe in the vaccine so much most are willing to pay for the total cost of the shot, they understand that the cost to treat the flu and secondary infections resulting from it can be very expensive. Employers also are willing to pay for the cost of the shot because it has been proven to save them money with employees needing less sick days. I'm willing to pay for the cost of the shot because it is much much less than what I would have to pay for all the cough and cold medicines needed to treat the flu. Perhaps, if you're young and healthy, you can avoid the flu shot, but for me, it's been a real lifesaver. I consider myself, fairly healthy, but not so young, and I started getting the flu shot every year a few years back. For me, getting the flu does not just mean a few weeks of misery; it often turns into bronchitis and pneumonia. I also use to get it at the very worst times, around Thanksgiving or Christmas, and nothing can spoil a Holliday, like the flu. I can now look forward to holidays, and know I won't be sick, with the flu anyways. All you have to do is look at third world countries, and you will understand that our immunization programs are doing much much more good than harm. There will always be alarmists and government conspiracy theorists, and hopefully enough people can sort out truth from wild theories. Everything you do has some effect, but one great side effect of getting the flu shot is not getting the flu! |