Vaccine Advisory Panel Handpicked By RFK Jr. Issues New Recommendation Making COVID-19 Vaccines Less Accessible

Vaccine Advisory Panel Handpicked By RFK Jr. Issues New Recommendation Making COVID-19 Vaccines Less Accessible

Cantwell: "Secretary Kennedy's committee members who believe in pseudoscience should not be making decisions that affect the accessibility and affordability of life-saving vaccines."

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, a group tasked with crafting policies around vaccination recommendations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to implement new rules around COVID-19 recommendations that will ultimately create more barriers and cause more confusion for Americans looking to receive the vaccine.

The group, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, voted to subject vaccine access to "shared clinical decision-making," which will require a patient to discuss the benefits and risks of vaccines with their provider. This is seen as unnecessary as people already receive information describing the risks when they ask for a vaccine, and some underinsured people do not have timely access to their provider. The committee's decision also creates confusion about whether insurance will cover these vaccines, as technically, they are no longer classified as "recommended" by the CDC.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement:

"The dysfunction displayed during this week's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meetings makes one thing very clear: Secretary Kennedy's committee members who believe in pseudoscience should not be making decisions that affect the accessibility and affordability of life-saving vaccines," said Sen. Cantwell. "The committee's vote to require "shared clinical decision-making" for the COVID-19 vaccine is just another attempt to impose barriers to access, while creating confusion about whether Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance will cover the cost. It will also overload our health care system with unnecessary doctor's visits. We should be taking actions to make vaccines more accessible and affordable for seniors, especially as we enter flu season."

In June, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. swept the vaccine advisory clean of all 17 of its prior members and has since filled it with new members skeptical of vaccine safety. Earlier this month, Sen. Cantwell took RFK Jr. to task for spreading misinformation about vaccines: "You're a charlatan, sir. That's what you are," she said.

Last week, Sen. Cantwell filed an amendment to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would prevent health care providers from denying COVID-19 vaccines unless there's some medical reason that the patient should not have one and require insurers to cover the vaccine in full.

Her amendment was in response to new guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines. Under the new recommendations, only people 65 and older or those with at least one underlying health condition that increases their risk of severe infection are recommended for the vaccine. While the new FDA guidelines don't ban others from receiving the vaccine, they do create new hurdles - for instance, whether the vaccine is covered by insurance and available at pharmacies will vary from patient to patient and state to state. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the cost of a COVID-19 vaccine is $142. As a result of the revised FDA guidelines, unlike years past, most Americans will no longer be able to count on receiving a free or low-cost COVID-19 booster from their local pharmacy ahead of the 2025-2026 winter season.