Pfizer reportedly plans to charge up to $130 for COVID-19 vaccine

FILE - A syringe is placed into a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination at a COVID-19 clinic in Augusta, Maine, on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. On Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, Pfizer said it will charge $110 to $130 for a dose of its COVID-19 vaccine once the U.S. government stops buying the shots, but the drugmaker says it expects many people will continue receiving doses for free. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

People could eventually be forced to pay hundreds of dollars to protect themselves from COVID-19.

According to Reuters and NBC News, Pfizer said it would charge between $110 and $130 for its mRNA vaccine after the government stops paying for them. The two-dose vaccine is FDA approved for individuals 12 years of age and older.

The U.S. currently pays about $30 a dose, Reuters reported.

The government will stop paying for the vaccines once it ends the public health emergency that was put in place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, more than 375 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Despite the higher price, not everyone will pay the full amount. Private insurance and Medicare usually pick up some, if not all, of the cost.

The Centers for Disease Control lists the price of vaccines. Many vaccines are around $100. For example, the Measles, Mumps, & Rubella vaccine costs $89. The HPV vaccine is one of the shots. It costs $268 before insurance.