A recent change in the US government has left many parents worried about access to routine childhood immunizations. The shake-up of a key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory body, led by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has raised concerns that millions of American families may have to pay out-of-pocket for shots now covered by their health insurance.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the nation’s adult and childhood immunization schedules, has been replaced with new members aligned with Kennedy’s views. This change has led to alarm among medical professionals and public health experts, who fear that vaccines may be restricted or no longer covered by insurance.
As a result, pediatricians are seeing anxious parents ask about vaccine access for their children. Some parents are scheduling appointments precisely when their child becomes eligible for vaccinations, as they worry that cost shifts could lead to fewer kids getting shots. Doctors warn that this could lead to more preventable illnesses and deaths, especially if vaccination rates drop.
The new ACIP members have already recommended removing the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women, which has sparked a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The committee has also voted to recommend that adults and children no longer receive flu vaccines with thimerosal, a preservative rarely used in some flu vaccines.
Health insurance companies have not yet announced how they will alter coverage, but experts say this could lead private insurers to refuse to cover the vaccine. Medicaid covers 4 in 10 children in the US, and the Affordable Care Act requires health insurers to cover all ACIP-recommended vaccines.
The possibility of vaccine restrictions is already changing how parents approach immunization, with some doctors urging them to get their children vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. However, the new law reducing Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over the next decade has raised questions about who will be covered and which services will be offered in states that need to make decisions about revenue.
The situation is uncertain, and it’s unclear how this will play out across all states. The CDC has reaffirmed that flu vaccines will remain accessible and covered, but the possibility of vaccine restrictions remains a concern for parents and medical professionals alike.
Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/07/25/nx-s1-5477580/rfk-jr-vaccine-pediatric-recommendations-medicaid-hpv