Federal vaccine policy has shifted under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with new guidance limiting COVID-19 vaccine recommendations primarily to older adults and people with health risks. In response, several states are moving to preserve broader access, both by protecting pharmacy authority to provide vaccines and by requiring insurers under state jurisdiction to continue covering them without cost sharing. Some states are also seeking to preserve the earlier federal standards for vaccine recommendations and coverage.
According to Politico, recent state actions include:
Minnesota: An executive order ensuring vaccine access to the “fullest extent permitted by law.”
California: A bill to decouple state requirements from the new federal guidance and preserve broader eligibility and coverage.
New York: The governor and legislature are considering mandating state health plans to cover vaccines regardless of federal policy changes, alongside executive measures to expand pharmacist authority.
Maryland: A new law requiring insurance coverage for vaccines recommended under the prior Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) framework.
Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii: Joining the West Coast Health Alliance to coordinate regional vaccine guidance and counter federal policy shifts.
Not all states are moving in this direction. As The Associated Press reports, Florida is instead loosening vaccine mandates, including plans to eliminate all school immunization requirements. The move aligns with Kennedy’s agenda but has drawn criticism from pediatric leaders, who warn it could endanger students and school staff.
Because state authority differs across insurance law, pharmacy regulation, and public health powers, the durability of these protections varies widely nationwide.
