NEWS: Ahead of Vaccine Advisory Panel Vote, Sen. Schiff Urges Nation’s Largest Private Health Insurers to Publicly Commit to Prioritizing Science, Continuing Vaccine Coverage

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) urged the nation's largest health insurers to publicly commit to continuing coverage of vaccines recommended by leading professional medical societies ahead of any changes in recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) this week.

The ACIP, whose members now include individuals hand-picked by Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, is expected to vote as soon as today on potential changes to vaccine recommendation for COVID-19, Hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).

"In the absence of evidence-based policies under current-HHS leadership, it is critical that leaders throughout our health care system reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that health care is informed by science, not conspiracy," Senator Schiff wrote.

In letters sent to UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Elevance Health, Cigna, and Kaiser, Schiff urged the insurers to publicly commit to continuing coverage for vaccines as Americans are being turned away or forced to pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket for vaccine doses amidst confusion with changing vaccine recommendations.

During the first ACIP meeting held by Secretary Kennedy's committee in June, the new members demonstrated clear biases, made false statements about vaccine safety, and voted to change vaccine recommendations without providing any scientific evidence supporting the change. Among those set to potentially vote this week is a member that has suggested that COVID-19 vaccines caused a form of AIDS.

"Undoubtedly, our country is facing a crisis of science. Should ACIP vote during this week's meeting to roll back existing vaccine recommendations without sufficient scientific evidence, decades of medical progress will be erased, and the health and safety of all Americans will be at risk." continued the Senator.

The full text of the letters can be found here and below.

I write to you today to share my deep concerns about the upcoming Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting and ask for your continued partnership on efforts to protect public health and ensure access to critical health care services. The upcoming ACIP meeting scheduled for this Thursday, September 18th and Friday, September 19th could include recommendation votes on COVID-19 vaccines, Hepatitis B vaccine, MMRV vaccine. While details about the specific considerations remain sparse, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy's hand-selected ACIP has already demonstrated that members of the committee hold deep political biases, legitimize vaccine misinformation, and promote vaccine recommendations that lack scientific evidence. In the absence of evidence-based policies under current-HHS leadership, it is critical that leaders throughout our health care system reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that health care is informed by science, not conspiracy.

As one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, I respectfully request that [recipient] publicly pledge to provide continued coverage of routine use immunizations recommended by America's leading professional medical societies without out-of-pocket costs. During these uncertain times, your continued leadership in ensuring access to science-based health care services is critical to the health and safety of all Americans.

As you know, the Affordable Care Act requires that commercial health plans must, at a minimum, provide full coverage of immunizations for recommended populations by ACIP without cost-sharing requirements. Of course, this statute was written without the foresight of knowing that in June 2025, Secretary Kennedy would fire all 17 members of ACIP, replacing them with advisors who, at best, lack expertise in immunology or vaccines, but in many cases, are known vaccine skeptics or outright anti-vaccine individuals. Among those set to consider and potentially vote on vaccine recommendations later this week is a member that that once suggested that Covid vaccines cause a form of AIDS. During the first ACIP meeting held by Kennedy's hand-selected committee in June, the new members demonstrated clear biases, made false statements about vaccine safety, and voted to change vaccine recommendations without providing any scientific evidence supporting the change. It is abundantly clear that Secretary Kennedy's decision to overhaul ACIP's membership was done exclusively to advance an anti-science, anti-vaccine agenda. In response, it is critical that health care leaders throughout the US unanimously commit to upholding and protecting medical science.

Even before he dismantled ACIP, Kennedy had already begun successfully limiting vaccine access. In May, Kennedy unilaterally announced that CDC would no longer recommend Covid vaccinations for healthy children or pregnant women. More recently, Kennedy's FDA revised guidance limiting the new Covid vaccine to anyone 65 or older and any person at least 6 months old who has at least one underlying health condition. The impact of these changes has sparked mass confusion among patients and providers across the country, and left states who have long relied on guidance from CDC without federal scientific consensus. Individuals throughout the country seeking Covid shots are being turned away or forced to pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket for a vaccine. As we enter Covid and flu season this fall, it is imperative that Congress and health care leaders work together to prevent any additional barriers to vaccines.

Undoubtedly, our country is facing a crisis of science. Should ACIP vote during this week's meeting to roll back existing vaccine recommendations without sufficient scientific evidence, decades of medical progress will be erased, and the health and safety of all Americans will be at risk. In the absence of trustworthy, evidence-based decision making at HHS, our leaders throughout the health care system have an opportunity to commit unequivocally to upholding science and protecting public health. On behalf of the millions of Americans whose lives were saved because of invention of vaccinations, I urge [recipient] to publicly commit to providing continued health insurance coverage of routine use immunizations without out-of-pocket costs based on the available scientific-evidence. Your commitment to ensuring access to high-quality health care is more important than ever, and I look forward to continuing to partner with your organization as we navigate these uncertain times.

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