What This Means for Payers
- Participation in an efficient and cost-effective system for purchasing and distributing childhood and adult vaccines.
- Vaccine costs that are below those of private purchase alternatives, as documented by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Assessment Rate is determined annually in September by the AVAP Council. Click here to view the
Assessment Rate Notification to Payers.
- 2024 Child Rate: $14.89
- 2024 Adult Rate: $ 3.71
- 2025 Child Rate: $10.79
- 2025 Adult Rate: $ 1.49
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several ways to remain updated:
a. Epi Bulletins will be posted on the State of Alaska Epidemiology home page at http://www.epi.alaska.gov.
b. To receive email alerts, sign up on the home page at www.akvaccine.org.
c. You may send further questions to avap@alaska.gov.
Currently, Alaskan adults covered by Medicaid and Medicare are not eligible for vaccines through AVAP.
For more information, see the Assessment Workbook under the Documents tab.
You may create your own username and password by clicking https://file.akvaccine.org/login and click register and follow the prompts.
By purchasing vaccines in bulk at federal contract rates, the State qualifies for one of the most significant discounts from the pharmaceutical industry. The program funds vaccine purchases from assessments collected from insurers and other payers.
This program operates on a calendar year running from January 1 to December 31. Quarterly assessments are due 45 days after the close of each quarter, meaning reports and payments will typically be due on February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Quarterly payments are based on the number of covered lives an entity reports for the three months in each preceding quarter.
No. The ACA does not preempt any provision of state law unless a state law prevents the application of an ACA requirement. The Universal Vaccine Program supports the ACA requirement that coverage be provided without the imposition of cost-sharing for immunizations for routine use in children and adults.
The assessment rate is published on the Payers page.
The assessment is based on an online quarterly survey of assessable entities' covered lives. Each year, AVAP via the Council sets separate assessment rates per adult and child covered life. The Council will evaluate whether the "covered lives" approach will be continued in subsequent years. For more information on reporting and assessment payments, see www.akvaccine.org.
The Alaska Legislature formed AVAP to preserve universal-select access to state-supplied vaccines for children and to provide select state-supplied vaccines for covered adults. AVAP enables the Alaska Immunization Program to purchase vaccines and distribute them at no financial cost to health care providers.
If AVAP’s estimates produce funds that are too low to meet the needed vaccine costs, AVAP may issue a supplemental assessment. AVAP’s reserve methodology has been designed so that no supplemental assessment should be needed, but that cannot be guaranteed in advance.
No. Childhood and adult vaccines are assessed separately since the cost-per-adult is much lower than the cost-per-child. However, a single payment may be submitted for both assessments.
No. AVAP avoids counting any covered life twice by holding the entity that pays for the vaccine administration cost also responsible for paying the assessment.
No. Self-insured employers, Third-party administrators (TPAs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and other payers are also subject to assessment. These payers fund the purchase of vaccines for all privately insured children and adults.
AVAP is overseen by an independent Vaccine Assessment Council (Council) appointed by the Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner.
A vaccine assessment account (Vaccine Account) has been established, and funds are used for purchasing pediatric and adult vaccines. The Vaccine Account is funded through vaccine assessments from assessable entities called “payers,” which include health care insurers, health benefit plans, and third-party administrators, based on their proportionate share of the overall vaccine costs. The Immunization Program uses the funds to order vaccine at a discounted bulk rate and distribute it statewide at no cost to health care providers (e.g., doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc.). Health care providers vaccinate their patients, only billing payers for the administrative fee.
Please email Help@AKvaccine.org with an explanation of what adjustments you need and provide your contact information. A trained representative will follow-up on your request.
Any excess funds collected in one year will be used to reduce the overall assessment for the following year.
VacTrAK is Alaska’s Immunization Information System (IIS). This web-based system provides a confidential, population-based, computerized system to maintain immunization information for Alaskans of all ages. Effective December 29, 2013, health care providers are required to report all administered immunizations to VacTrAK within 14 days of vaccine administration (7 AAC 27.650). This reporting requirement is applicable for any vaccine administered, including state supplied and privately purchased vaccine.
Alaska's Department of Health calculated the amount of vaccine needed to be purchased based on an evaluation of vaccine usage in the State Immunization Information System (VacTrAK) and current vaccine inventory. Then, DOH made adjustments for adult vaccines based on estimates of vaccine not documented in VacTrAK and estimates of increased usage during the first year due to increased vaccine availability. Vaccine purchases are made monthly so that the state will be able to regulate its stock.
No. Alaska law mandates that all assessable entities (essentially any entity which pays for any health benefits for any Alaska resident), must pay assessments set by the program.
Please prepare your report as soon as possible. KidsVax® will report your late payment to the AVAP Council. The AVAP Council will take enforcement action, should that become necessary.
Yes. Each state program is built to meet the needs of its stakeholders. There are various assessment methodologies, adult and children programs, and services that KidsVax® offers. KidsVax® customizes its services to fit each state’s specific needs.
“Assessable entity” means any health carrier or other entity that contracts or offers to provide, deliver, arrange, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of health services.
Yes. ERISA does not prevent the state from assessing payers. To the extent allowed by federal law, ERISA plans are required to participate along with all other payers. Third-party administrators (TPAs), who are often contracted to perform claims processing activities for ERISA plan trustees, will also be included in the mandatory assessment.
Yes. Assessment payments are properly accountable as medical expenses because they fund the cost of vaccines administered to beneficiaries. As such, assessable entities like third-party administrators are anticipated to pay the assessment costs on behalf of their clients.
When you file your report in the assessment system on the website, the program will generate a “Remittance Form” that you can print and save. This form will contain a unique reference number. You must include this reference number with your payment. The Form will also include detailed instructions for submitting your payment by ACH transfer, which is the preferred method.
Adult covered lives” are residents who are 19 years and older who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
“Child covered lives” are residents who are 0 through 18 years of age who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
Entities must report both child and adult covered lives. Individuals 0 through 18 years of age are considered children. Individuals 19 and older are considered adults.
Yes. However, the entity may be eligible to file an Annual or Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report instead of the typical quarterly reports. Please note that if an entity has zero covered lives for one quarter only, then it should file a normal quarterly report with “0” values. If, however, an entity does not administer medical benefits and therefore has zero covered lives, it should file one of two types of Zero Covered Lives Reports. For example, this type of report would be appropriate for entities such as those administering eye care or dental benefit only plans. If the entity has zero covered lives and will continue to have zero covered lives for the balance of the year, then it should file an Annual Zero Covered Lives Report during the first quarter of the calendar year. No other report will be due until the first quarter of the following calendar year. If the entity has zero covered lives and expects to never have covered lives, it should file a Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report to eliminate the need for further compliance follow up. A guide to Zero Covered Lives Reports is available here.
If annually, you have no lives to report, you may file a permanent zero. At that point, you will not be required to file annually unless you begin to have covered lives to report.
For more than 30 years, Alaska had a universal vaccine program — distributing recommended childhood and adult vaccines to all Alaskans. However, a dramatic reduction in federal funds for vaccine purchasing was scheduled to occur starting in 2011, reducing these funds from $4.3 million in 2010 to $200,000 in 2014. In 2012, legislation was passed to provide $4.5 million in state general funds each year for three years to temporarily reinstate vaccine funds to enable state supplied vaccine distribution to continue.
To ensure statewide access to vaccines, the Alaska Department of Health (DOH) began working together on a long-term solution to vaccine funding. In June 2014, legislation was enacted launching a new statewide funding partnership. This funding partnership was authorized in Alaska statute 18.09.200 and established a vaccine assessment account that will enable DOH to purchase all pediatric and most adult vaccines at costs below those of private purchase alternatives.
The DOH commissioner will maintain a list of vaccines included in the program based on the department’s review of the ACIP recommendations and the clinical and cost-benefit analysis of potential vaccines. Here is the current vaccine formulary offered by the Alaska Immunization Program.
The Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program (AVAP) operates to ensure that all Alaskans have access to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccines. In 2014, the Alaska State Legislature established AVAP, a new statewide funding partnership. The funding partnership was authorized in Alaska statute 18.09.200 and established a vaccine assessment account that will enable the Department of Health (DOH) to purchase all pediatric and select adult vaccines at costs below those of private purchase alternatives.
Log into that entity's assessment filing system, toggle the permanent zero option to off so that you can start reporting regularly, beginning with the first quarter in which it has contribution enrollees.
Yes. Please e-mail Help@AKvaccine.org explaining the mistake and the amount you need for reimbursement. The AVAP Council will then determine the best way to correct the mistake.
The Alaska Immunization Program provides vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). KidsVax® takes no position for or against the administration of any particular vaccine to any specified individual.
No. AVAP is a financing mechanism for a portion of Alaska’s universal-select vaccine purchasing system for children and adults. The federally funded Vaccines for Children Program is not affected by AVAP. All providers receiving state-supplied vaccine must enroll annually in the state's Vaccine Distribution Program and adhere to all program requirements.
No. AVAP does not impact taxes as it is not funded by taxpayers. AVAP collects the costs of vaccines and program expenses from insurers, third-party administrators, and other payers who are already obligated to pay health care costs for their beneficiaries.
Click here for the online assessment. First-time users must register before they can log in to the assessment system. Please note that because of the system’s security features, there may be a delay of up to 30 minutes before a new account can be accessed for data entry.
There are several ways to remain updated:
a. Epi Bulletins will be posted on the State of Alaska Epidemiology home page at http://www.epi.alaska.gov.
b. To receive email alerts, sign up on the home page at www.akvaccine.org.
c. You may send further questions to avap@alaska.gov.
Currently, Alaskan adults covered by Medicaid and Medicare are not eligible for vaccines through AVAP.
For more information, see the Assessment Workbook under the Documents tab.
You may create your own username and password by clicking https://file.akvaccine.org/login and click register and follow the prompts.
By purchasing vaccines in bulk at federal contract rates, the State qualifies for one of the most significant discounts from the pharmaceutical industry. The program funds vaccine purchases from assessments collected from insurers and other payers.
This program operates on a calendar year running from January 1 to December 31. Quarterly assessments are due 45 days after the close of each quarter, meaning reports and payments will typically be due on February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Quarterly payments are based on the number of covered lives an entity reports for the three months in each preceding quarter.
No. The ACA does not preempt any provision of state law unless a state law prevents the application of an ACA requirement. The Universal Vaccine Program supports the ACA requirement that coverage be provided without the imposition of cost-sharing for immunizations for routine use in children and adults.
The assessment rate is published on the Payers page.
The assessment is based on an online quarterly survey of assessable entities' covered lives. Each year, AVAP via the Council sets separate assessment rates per adult and child covered life. The Council will evaluate whether the "covered lives" approach will be continued in subsequent years. For more information on reporting and assessment payments, see www.akvaccine.org.
The Alaska Legislature formed AVAP to preserve universal-select access to state-supplied vaccines for children and to provide select state-supplied vaccines for covered adults. AVAP enables the Alaska Immunization Program to purchase vaccines and distribute them at no financial cost to health care providers.
If AVAP’s estimates produce funds that are too low to meet the needed vaccine costs, AVAP may issue a supplemental assessment. AVAP’s reserve methodology has been designed so that no supplemental assessment should be needed, but that cannot be guaranteed in advance.
No. Childhood and adult vaccines are assessed separately since the cost-per-adult is much lower than the cost-per-child. However, a single payment may be submitted for both assessments.
No. AVAP avoids counting any covered life twice by holding the entity that pays for the vaccine administration cost also responsible for paying the assessment.
No. Self-insured employers, Third-party administrators (TPAs), health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and other payers are also subject to assessment. These payers fund the purchase of vaccines for all privately insured children and adults.
AVAP is overseen by an independent Vaccine Assessment Council (Council) appointed by the Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner.
A vaccine assessment account (Vaccine Account) has been established, and funds are used for purchasing pediatric and adult vaccines. The Vaccine Account is funded through vaccine assessments from assessable entities called “payers,” which include health care insurers, health benefit plans, and third-party administrators, based on their proportionate share of the overall vaccine costs. The Immunization Program uses the funds to order vaccine at a discounted bulk rate and distribute it statewide at no cost to health care providers (e.g., doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc.). Health care providers vaccinate their patients, only billing payers for the administrative fee.
Please email Help@AKvaccine.org with an explanation of what adjustments you need and provide your contact information. A trained representative will follow-up on your request.
Any excess funds collected in one year will be used to reduce the overall assessment for the following year.
VacTrAK is Alaska’s Immunization Information System (IIS). This web-based system provides a confidential, population-based, computerized system to maintain immunization information for Alaskans of all ages. Effective December 29, 2013, health care providers are required to report all administered immunizations to VacTrAK within 14 days of vaccine administration (7 AAC 27.650). This reporting requirement is applicable for any vaccine administered, including state supplied and privately purchased vaccine.
Alaska's Department of Health calculated the amount of vaccine needed to be purchased based on an evaluation of vaccine usage in the State Immunization Information System (VacTrAK) and current vaccine inventory. Then, DOH made adjustments for adult vaccines based on estimates of vaccine not documented in VacTrAK and estimates of increased usage during the first year due to increased vaccine availability. Vaccine purchases are made monthly so that the state will be able to regulate its stock.
No. Alaska law mandates that all assessable entities (essentially any entity which pays for any health benefits for any Alaska resident), must pay assessments set by the program.
Please prepare your report as soon as possible. KidsVax® will report your late payment to the AVAP Council. The AVAP Council will take enforcement action, should that become necessary.
Yes. Each state program is built to meet the needs of its stakeholders. There are various assessment methodologies, adult and children programs, and services that KidsVax® offers. KidsVax® customizes its services to fit each state’s specific needs.
“Assessable entity” means any health carrier or other entity that contracts or offers to provide, deliver, arrange, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of health services.
Yes. ERISA does not prevent the state from assessing payers. To the extent allowed by federal law, ERISA plans are required to participate along with all other payers. Third-party administrators (TPAs), who are often contracted to perform claims processing activities for ERISA plan trustees, will also be included in the mandatory assessment.
Yes. Assessment payments are properly accountable as medical expenses because they fund the cost of vaccines administered to beneficiaries. As such, assessable entities like third-party administrators are anticipated to pay the assessment costs on behalf of their clients.
When you file your report in the assessment system on the website, the program will generate a “Remittance Form” that you can print and save. This form will contain a unique reference number. You must include this reference number with your payment. The Form will also include detailed instructions for submitting your payment by ACH transfer, which is the preferred method.
Adult covered lives” are residents who are 19 years and older who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
“Child covered lives” are residents who are 0 through 18 years of age who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
Entities must report both child and adult covered lives. Individuals 0 through 18 years of age are considered children. Individuals 19 and older are considered adults.
Yes. However, the entity may be eligible to file an Annual or Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report instead of the typical quarterly reports. Please note that if an entity has zero covered lives for one quarter only, then it should file a normal quarterly report with “0” values. If, however, an entity does not administer medical benefits and therefore has zero covered lives, it should file one of two types of Zero Covered Lives Reports. For example, this type of report would be appropriate for entities such as those administering eye care or dental benefit only plans. If the entity has zero covered lives and will continue to have zero covered lives for the balance of the year, then it should file an Annual Zero Covered Lives Report during the first quarter of the calendar year. No other report will be due until the first quarter of the following calendar year. If the entity has zero covered lives and expects to never have covered lives, it should file a Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report to eliminate the need for further compliance follow up. A guide to Zero Covered Lives Reports is available here.
If annually, you have no lives to report, you may file a permanent zero. At that point, you will not be required to file annually unless you begin to have covered lives to report.
For more than 30 years, Alaska had a universal vaccine program — distributing recommended childhood and adult vaccines to all Alaskans. However, a dramatic reduction in federal funds for vaccine purchasing was scheduled to occur starting in 2011, reducing these funds from $4.3 million in 2010 to $200,000 in 2014. In 2012, legislation was passed to provide $4.5 million in state general funds each year for three years to temporarily reinstate vaccine funds to enable state supplied vaccine distribution to continue.
To ensure statewide access to vaccines, the Alaska Department of Health (DOH) began working together on a long-term solution to vaccine funding. In June 2014, legislation was enacted launching a new statewide funding partnership. This funding partnership was authorized in Alaska statute 18.09.200 and established a vaccine assessment account that will enable DOH to purchase all pediatric and most adult vaccines at costs below those of private purchase alternatives.
The DOH commissioner will maintain a list of vaccines included in the program based on the department’s review of the ACIP recommendations and the clinical and cost-benefit analysis of potential vaccines. Here is the current vaccine formulary offered by the Alaska Immunization Program.
The Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program (AVAP) operates to ensure that all Alaskans have access to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccines. In 2014, the Alaska State Legislature established AVAP, a new statewide funding partnership. The funding partnership was authorized in Alaska statute 18.09.200 and established a vaccine assessment account that will enable the Department of Health (DOH) to purchase all pediatric and select adult vaccines at costs below those of private purchase alternatives.
Log into that entity's assessment filing system, toggle the permanent zero option to off so that you can start reporting regularly, beginning with the first quarter in which it has contribution enrollees.
Yes. Please e-mail Help@AKvaccine.org explaining the mistake and the amount you need for reimbursement. The AVAP Council will then determine the best way to correct the mistake.
The Alaska Immunization Program provides vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). KidsVax® takes no position for or against the administration of any particular vaccine to any specified individual.
No. AVAP is a financing mechanism for a portion of Alaska’s universal-select vaccine purchasing system for children and adults. The federally funded Vaccines for Children Program is not affected by AVAP. All providers receiving state-supplied vaccine must enroll annually in the state's Vaccine Distribution Program and adhere to all program requirements.
No. AVAP does not impact taxes as it is not funded by taxpayers. AVAP collects the costs of vaccines and program expenses from insurers, third-party administrators, and other payers who are already obligated to pay health care costs for their beneficiaries.
Click here for the online assessment. First-time users must register before they can log in to the assessment system. Please note that because of the system’s security features, there may be a delay of up to 30 minutes before a new account can be accessed for data entry.
How to Complete A Covered Lives Report - Guide
Click here for information and instructions on how to file your Covered Lives Report.
How do I get started?
If you do not have an account, please click here to register as a new user. You will receive a confirmation email to the supplied email address. Once you have a login click on the assessment self-reporting system link on the left of this page.
There are a couple of other notes that might be useful when working with the Self-Reporting Assessment System for the first time:
- Your email address is used as your ID or login.
- Your submitted data is available to you under your login after submission.
- If you have no covered lives in the state of Alaska and have no expectation of any covered lives, you may file a permanent zero. If, at some point, you do have
covered lives to report, simply toggle off the permanent zero after logging into your account.
| Quarter to be Reported | Covered Lives Report Due Date* | Assessment Payment Due Date* |
| 4th Oct. – Dec. | February 15, 2025 | February 15, 2025 |
| 1st Jan. – Mar. | May 15, 2025 | May 15, 2025 |
| 2nd Apr. – Jun. | August 15, 2025 | August 15, 2025 |
| 3rd Jul. – Sept. | November 15, 2024 | November 15, 2024 |
* Please note: The payment due date is the same date as the covered lives report due date. As such, Payers will most likely need to file their covered lives report well in advance to avoid any late payment penalties.