The Illinois Department of Insurance says the state's largest private health insurers and HMOs have agreed to cover administration costs associated with the swine flu vaccine.

Aetna, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, CIGNA, Health Alliance, Humana, PersonalCare, Unicare and UnitedHealthcare will cover the cost of administration for the vaccine for their policyholders.

The cost of the vaccine itself is being paid for by the U.S. government.

Many smaller insurance companies also will cover the administration costs of the vaccine for all or most policyholders.

The department says consumers should contact their insurance company, insurance agent or employer to ask about the limits of coverage for the swine flu vaccine.