BOSTON -- Putting together public H1N1 clinics has been a financial struggle for many cities and towns, especially at a time when budgets are already stretched very thin.

"Basic supplies, buying pens, paper and clipboards for people to write things on. All of that goes into the cost of running a clinic," said Joanne Martel, the assistant health director for Andover. "Sometimes there's hall rentals depending on where you hold it. If there's a detail for police, there's fees."

But financial help is on the way. Massachusetts health plans including, Tufts Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, BMC HealthNet Plan, Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Health New England, and Unicare, have agreed to reimburse for the administrative costs of running a public flu clinic.

"This will help to facilitate a smooth and seamless process that will make it easy for cities and towns to submit information and receive information for the work that they did in administering these vaccines," said Dr. Marylou Buyse, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

Cities and towns say having health insurers pick up some of these costs will make it easier for them to run public clinics. The state already has 1.4 million doses. The Department of Public Health expects to receive another 2 million doses to be delivered over the next two months. While cases appear to have dropped recently, doctors aren't sure if the virus has peaked just yet.

"We're expecting that the number of cases will continue to be high well into December, January," said John Auerbach, commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.