It’s time for your flu shot

It’s always important to get your flu shot, but health experts say it’s even more critical this year to protect yourself and your community.

The measures taken last winter to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 had the side benefit of helping to reduce the number of influenza infections. But there’s a catch: Those measures also reduced overall immunity to the flu.

This makes getting your flu vaccine that much more important.

MESSA makes it easy to get a flu shot. It’s a fully covered benefit when you go to a payable provider, which includes:

Your in-network health care provider: Get your flu shot from your in-network provider.
Select retail pharmacies: Most Michigan pharmacies will administer a flu shot for free and bill MESSA without requiring payment. If a pharmacy asks you to pay up front, you should go to a different pharmacy or contact MESSA’s Member Service Center at 800-336-0013 so we can ensure you receive it at no charge.
Public health departments: Most public health departments don’t participate with the MESSA network and will require you to pay up front. If you pay for your vaccination from a public health department, complete a claims reimbursement form and send it to MESSA along with your receipt and any other relevant documentation. A reimbursement form can be found at messa.org/forms under Member Claims.