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U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials withdrew emergency use rules for some COVID-19 vaccinations and implemented stricter access rules for other COVID-19 vaccinations. The move has made employer coverage of COVID shots and other vaccinations far more complicated, even as a new wave of U.S. COVID infections has surged. Currently, U.S. residents are experiencing about 3.5 million new infections per week, and 1,300 excess deaths per week attributable to COVID.
As for FDA officials, they have taken the position that the COVID emergency has ended, and the current risk of contracting COVID does not justify vaccines for healthy people under age 65. Nonetheless, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), posted on X that vaccines are nonetheless available for all patients who choose to get them after consulting their doctors. Kennedy's comment suggests that some individuals under 65 may be eligible for a COVID vaccine based on their health condition, while others may require a prescription.
HHS is the parent agency for the FDA and other health-related departments, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Kennedy is currently trying to relieve Susan Monarez from her role as CDC director, ostensibly due to her opposition to changes in HHS vaccination policies.
CDC and HHS vaccine policies, which directly influence the vaccines that health plans cover as preventive services free of charge, are governed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The Committee is scheduled to meet in September to discuss coverage recommendations for the COVID vaccine, as well as other vaccines.
In the past, vaccinations have enjoyed widespread bipartisan support. As recently as January 2025, during a Senate hearing on Kennedy's nomination to be HHS secretary, members of both parties united to support maintaining active vaccination programs in the U.S. Likewise, the nation's largest health insurance coverage provider groups advised HHS that they supported continuing free coverage of COVID vaccines to plan participants. Some opposed Kennedy as HHS secretary due to his long career with the Children's Defense Fund, an outspoken critic of U.S. vaccination programs and policies. From the employer's perspective, preventive medical tools such as vaccines are key to the health of employees. Vaccines are less costly than the treatment for the diseases they prevent and generally increase immunity among the population.
As a result, employers tend to be interested in cost-effective coverage for vaccines, including making them available at pharmacies and worksite clinics.
Employers are largely currently concerned with uncertainty about coverage for COVID-19 vaccines. At this point, it is unclear what policies the FDA and CDC have adopted, and whether and when those policies will change. They also worry that vaccine coverage uncertainty will go beyond COVID vaccines to affect other vaccines.
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