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States buck FDA on vaccine access

2 4
06.09.2025
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Health Care

Health Care

 

The Big Story

States break with FDA, roll out broader access to vaccines

Vaccine policy is fracturing along party lines as some blue states are stepping up to defy federal vaccine restrictions, increasing the likelihood of a patchwork of policies.

© AP

Some Democratic-led states are choosing to increase access to vaccines after the Trump administration restricted who is eligible for COVID-19 shots.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the shots for adults 65 and older and younger Americans but only if they have an underlying health condition that places then at risk of complications from COVID. Previously, the shots were available to everyone 6 months and older, regardless of their health.

Massachusetts has become the first state to impose its own rules requiring health insurance companies to cover immunizations recommended by the state’s health department.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) issued an executive order Friday allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines for the next 30 days. Hawaii announced Thursday it would join a group of West Coast states forming their own public health alliance aimed at providing “evidence-based immunization guidance.”

Last week, New Mexico’s health department issued an order to remove potential barriers and ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for all residents at pharmacies across the state.

Amid the confusion over eligibility, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the CEOs of Walgreens and CVS, pressing them on why updated vaccines are so difficult for people in some states to attain.

Markey in the letter cited growing confusion and regulatory breakdowns as some of the major barriers to vaccine access at the nation’s largest pharmacy chains.

“Congress has an obligation to determine who is responsible for this breakdown—whether the fault lies with federal regulators, state authorities, corporate policy, or somewhere else—and to ensure Americans regain timely, equitable access to vaccines,” Markey wrote.

 

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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