With US Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. already shaking up federal vaccine policy, some states are stepping in to preserve access to lifesaving shots in anticipation of further changes.
The federal government has historically had a major influence on vaccine policy through the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), formed in 1964 to develop science-based recommendations on how vaccines should be used. The recommendations are almost always adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in many states, these recommendations are tied to insurance coverage. If ACIP no longer recommends certain vaccines, individuals could be forced to pay out-of-pocket for livesaving vaccines that have