NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — A North Olmsted couple is getting a refund after sharing their story with News 5 Investigators.
Bill and Kris Zanetti received a bill for $630.63 for two vaccinations Kris received last November.
Bill had recently received the same shots at the same CVS on Lorain Avenue in North Olmsted.
His vaccinations were free.
"My wife was extremely upset," he said. "She's a nurse and we both know that vaccination shots should be covered — for one — and not $600 dollars."
What happened
Zanetti said a CVS employee directed his wife to the MinuteClinic for her shots.
The MinuteClinic is a subsidiary of CVS Health, which is located inside of CVS stores.
It is a separate entity from CVS Pharmacy.
The Zanetti's health insurance fully covered vaccinations at CVS Pharmacy, but were out-of-network at MinuteClinic.
"It went from in-network to out-of-network, but she [Kris] did not know that. She was not informed of that," he said.
Zanetti said he fought the bill for months. He said he spent hours on the phone with MinuteClinic and tried to negotiate a lower amount.
He said he gave up after he was told the bill would be sent to collections.
"I decided to pay the full amount because I was just exasperated with the whole thing," he said.
CVS Health response
News 5 Investigators reached out CVS Health about the Zanetti's bill.
Within 24 hours, they were offered a refund.
Roslyn Guarino, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications - External Affairs, sent us the following statement:
"We've had several conversations with the patient to discuss concerns and explain charges. While the TDAP and COVID-19 vaccinations were not covered by the patient's insurance provider because MinuteClinic is considered out-of-network, we did offer the patient a refund.
Many vaccines are available at MinuteClinic at no-cost through most insurance plans. However, vaccination coverage varies by insurer. We encourage patients to contact their insurance company to confirm costs for individual services before treatment."
BBB advice
News 5 Investigators also reached out to the Better Business Bureau about the Zanetti's unexpected charge.
President and CEO Pamela Anson sent us the following statement:
"BBB, Cleveland always urges consumers to "Read the fine print." To avoid hidden fees and unexpected charges, it's important to verify coverage details and confirm refund policies and contract terms. Consumers should proactively check payment policies, understand the long-term impact of installment payment terms, and always review a business at BBB.org. "
'It's a mess'
The Zanetti's updated their vaccinations last fall at their son's request after he and his wife welcomed a baby girl.
Bill thought the biggest sting would come from the shots.
He never expected keeping his baby granddaughter safe would create such a big mess.
"Yeah, it's a mess," he said. "It's a burden on individuals and patients because the system seems to be rigged towards the pharmacy and the drug people."
