BALTIMORE, Md. –ย In an effort to encourage Medicaid recipients to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the Maryland Department of Healthโ€™s (MDH) Medicaid program today announced support for a vaccine incentive program sponsored by the HealthChoice managed care organizations (MCOs).

The HealthChoice COVID-19 Gift Card Program begins today and lasts until the end of March 2022. Unvaccinated HealthChoice participants ages 12 and older who complete a full two-dose Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series or who receive a single Johnson & Johnson vaccine within this time frame can claim a $100 COVID-19 gift card from their MCO.

โ€œUnvaccinated Marylanders remain at the highest risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 and its highly contagious variants,โ€ said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. โ€œThis incentive for our Medicaid population, whose vaccination rate is much lower compared to other Marylanders, is intended to keep them safe and protected against this deadly disease.โ€

MDH will support the HealthChoice COVID-19 Gift Card Program by making details about the program available through the GoVAX Call Center (855-MD-GoVAX).

For more information about Marylandโ€™s COVID-19 response, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov. For up-to-date data about COVID-19 statewide, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov