Vaccine policy is rapidly fracturing along party lines under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and states are prepping for more upheaval following a meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in Atlanta next week.
Public health leaders are anticipating that the panel, which Kennedy stacked withvaccine skeptics, could roll back coverage of key vaccines ahead of the winter respiratory season.
To bolster vaccine access and insulate themselves as much as possible, legislators, governors and health officials are passing bills and issuing orders to clarify that pharmacists can administer COVID-19 and other vaccines.
A patchwork of regulations across the United States has added to confusion around vaccines. To date, at least Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Pennsylvania have taken steps to try to ensure that people who want a COVID-19 vaccine can get the shot.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, but only for adults 65 years and older or those with certain underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk for developing severe illness from the disease.
But the agency did not specify what conditions place a person at greater risk, sparking widespread confusion over who is eligible to get the shot, how to get them, and in some cases, how to pay for them.
States have always been able to make their own public health policies, but the federal government’s recommendations have helped align and standardize guidance.
At least 18 states and Washington, D.C., base their pharmacists’ vaccination authority on ACIP recommendations. A positive recommendation from the panel means that virtually all insurers will cover the vaccines for free. But if they don’t make a recommendation, there’s no guarantee insurers will cover the shots.
Blue state leaders are wary of the panel and have been outspoken against the changes Kennedy has made.
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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