November 12, 2021: Using Financial Incentives to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake (Charlene Wong, MD MSHP; Noel T. Brewer, PhD)

Posted on by terren.green@duke.edu

Speakers

Charlene Wong, MD MSHP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public Policy
Duke University School of Medicine
Chief Health Policy Officer for COVID-19
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Noel T. Brewer, PhD
Gillings Distinguished Professor in Public Health
Department of Health Behavior
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina
Member, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of North Carolina

Topic

Using Financial Incentives to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake

Keywords

COVID-19; Vaccine; Incentive; North Carolina DHHS

Key Points

  • The Summer Cash Card incentive program, run by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from May 26 to June 8, 2021, offered $25 gift cards as an incentive to receive a COVID-19 vaccination and an additional $25 gift card to anyone transporting individuals to a vaccination site.
  • During the time period that the Summer Cash Card incentive program was running, 2 in 10 people indicated that they were likely to get vaccinated, but remained unvaccinated for reasons such as lost wages, lack of child care, and lack of transportation.
  • Other incentive programs used in North Carolina included drawings for larger cash prizes or college scholarships for teens.
  • Recipients of $25 gift cards completed a survey asking the importance of getting the $25 gift card in their decision to get vaccinated or drive someone to get vaccinated.
  • Results from the survey showed that the financial incentive was particularly important to Hispanic individuals and individuals with an annual income below $40,000.
  • During times when vaccine administration fell, incentive sites did not see the same drop in vaccination rates.
  • Incentives are effective if they are known, valued, contingent, certain, and immediate.

Discussion Themes

For many individuals cost or transportation issues are the main barrier to vaccination.

Financial incentives could be considered coercive, but the benefits to the individual and the community are broad and the risks low. The $25 incentive is a fair amount to cover the costs of lost wages and transportation that it takes to get to the vaccine clinic.

Focus for incentives is still on the remaining people who are not vaccinated at all rather than on those who need booster vaccines.

 

Read more about the North Carolina DHHS financial incentive program for COVID-19 vaccines. Read the JAMA paper published in October 2021.

 

Tags

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