When most people think about vaccine decisions in the United States, they think of the FDA. The FDA does play a critical role by licensing vaccines after reviewing rigorous data on safety and effectiveness. But the FDA doesn’t decide how vaccines are used in practice or who gets them. That responsibility falls to the CDC and, more specifically, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
Here’s how the system normally works: once a vaccine is licensed by the FDA, the ACIP reviews the evidence and makes recommendations about whether the vaccine should be used, who should get it, and at what ages or intervals. Those recommendations then go to the CDC director, who adopts them into the official childhood and adult vaccine schedules.
These schedules matter far beyond just clinical guidance. They directly determine access:
- The Vaccines for Children program, which provides free vaccines to more than half of American children (through Medicaid, Indian Health Service, and for those uninsured or underinsured), follows the CDC’s schedule.
- Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, private insurers must cover all vaccines recommended on the schedule with no cost-sharing.
In short, if a vaccine is on the CDC’s schedule, it’s accessible. If it’s not, families may face high costs or be unable to get it at all.
This system has worked well for decades, ensuring broad and fair access to evidence-based immunizations. While debates within ACIP have occasionally been contentious, the committee has consistently relied on data, public health need, and medical expertise to shape its recommendations.
That’s why we’re paying close attention to the next ACIP meeting on September 18–19, 2025 in Atlanta. The committee will be reviewing the childhood vaccine recommendations for MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella), RSV, Hepatitis B, and COVID-19.
Federal Register :: Meeting of the ACIP
The concern is that this year’s ACIP has been replaced by Kennedy with people who lack public health or medical credentials, many with histories of promoting anti-vaccine views.
If the ACIP issues politically motivated recommendations that ignore evidence, the CDC could adopt them into policy. That would directly affect vaccine accessibility nationwide and could lead to steep declines in vaccination rates.
Here in Arizona, the consequences could be particularly severe. Our state already struggles with lower-than-average childhood immunization rates. If important vaccines like MMR or Hepatitis B are stripped from the national schedule, Arizona children could lose free or affordable access.
There’s another key access point tied directly to ACIP recommendations: pharmacies.
More and more Arizonans rely on local pharmacies for routine immunizations, especially adults and families seeking convenience. Under Arizona law (ARS 32-1974), whether a pharmacist can administer a vaccine depends on whether the ACIP recommends it. If a vaccine is removed from the ACIP schedule, pharmacists lose the authority to give it.
That means the upcoming September decisions won’t just decide insurance coverage, they’ll determine whether people in Arizona can continue getting vaccines at their neighborhood pharmacy.
