Oakland-based health care giant Blue Shield is the mystery third-party player that's supposed to fix California’s beleaguered COVID-19 vaccine distribution program.
There's going to be a "carrot and stick" approach to getting people immunized.
This doesn't mean California will get more doses, but hopefully Blue Shield will help get what the state has out the door faster to counties, pharmacies and private providers.
Part of Blue Shield's job is to reward providers that do a better job. Sometimes providers get paid more if they hit certain targets, such as with giving mammograms and flu shots.
Secretary of the Government Operations Agency Yolanda Richardson on Tuesday announced this new revamp, but didn't identify Blue Shield as the third party in charge.
"Vaccine supply is limited but we also need to address that the supply we have now needs to get administered as quickly as possible," she said. "So, we’re developing an approach that allows us to do just that, safely and equitably and quickly, but also allows us to scale up when there’s more supply available."
Kaiser Permanente, the other big Oakland-based health care provider, will run a separate vaccination program for its 9 million California members and will also provide support to the state.
One of the first things Blue Shield will have to do is manage all the requests for doses using new state guidelines that will weigh age more heavily than job-based exposure.
Critics worry that vulnerable populations such as low-income essential workers won't get a fair shake.
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