The removal of all 17 members of a key vaccine advisory panel Monday by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Human Health and Services (HHS), has amplified concerns from vaccine advocates about future access.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) counsels the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines for children and adults. It also helps determine insurance coverage.
In a statement announcing the dismissals, Kennedy said HHS sought to restore “public trust” in “unbiased science.”
But the sudden removal of the entire panel of health experts has been condemned by the American Medical Association and left physician groups, and advocates, concerned.
“They're not just vague recommendations, they're very specific clinical guidelines that physicians and pharmacists can use in order to properly deliberate who to vaccinate,” said Amy Pisani, CEO of Vaccinate Your Family, a Connecticut nonprofit.
“Those recommendations are the basis for requiring insurers, both public and private, to cover the vaccine,” Pisani said.
Prior to the ACIP removals the federal government already nixed the recommendation that children and pregnant people get vaccinated against COVID-19. The decision was made one month before ACIP members were scheduled to vote on updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
Caitlin Gilmet, with the SAFE Communities Coalition, said the ACIP removals raise questions about future insurance coverage for vaccines.
“These are our experts in infectious disease, immunogenicity, epidemiology and public health policy, and without that expert guidance, it's difficult to know if insurers will continue to cover the vaccines that families are counting on,” Gilmet said.
Physician groups across the country also condemned the firings.
“Today’s ACIP members are some of the most qualified individuals to evaluate vaccines,” Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, president of the American Public Health Association, said in a statement.
“They possess deep understanding of science and were vetted for conflicts of interest prior to appointment. Removing all ACIP members at once is not how democracies work and it’s not good for the health of the nation,” he said.
Dr. Bruce A. Scott, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement that ACIP has for generations been a trusted national source on the use of vaccines to prevent and control disease.
“With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses,” he said.
