Sweeping policy changes and restructuring of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have left US vaccine recommendations stalled, preventing mandated insurance coverage for newly approved shots. The policy vacuum coincides with a severe surge in national measles cases, reaching 4,588 confirmed infections in 2026, and political tension within the Republican party ahead of midterm elections.
RFK Jr.'s changes to the ACIP
- ▪Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reduced childhood immunization recommendations by a third and replaced members on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with handpicked allies.
- ▪A court order halted HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, leaving the advisory panel without active members or new vaccine recommendations.
Impact on vaccine insurance coverage
- ▪Without Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations, health insurers are not legally required to cover new vaccines, potentially delaying mandated coverage for newly approved shots until January 2029.
- ▪Ron Kroening, an asthma patient in Oklahoma, was charged a $40 co-pay for a newly approved Moderna mRNA flu vaccine because the shot lacked an official ACIP recommendation.
Measles cases and deaths in 2026
- ▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported three measles deaths in the United States in 2026, matching the total number of measles deaths reported in 2025.
- ▪As of October 22, 2026, the United States recorded 4,588 confirmed measles infections, double the total number of cases in 2025 and the highest annual count since 1991.
Florida school vaccine mandates
- ▪Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, an appointee of Governor Ron DeSantis, previously compared vaccine mandates to slavery.
- ▪Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo proposed eliminating four mandatory school vaccination requirements at an October 2026 hearing in Orlando.
Texas Attorney General vaccine stance
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation earlier in 2026 into healthcare companies for allegedly paying unlawful financial incentives to doctors to administer vaccines.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton aligned with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. against vaccines while running in a tight U.S. Senate race.
Republican public opinion on vaccines
- ▪An October 20, 2026 KFF survey showed that 77 percent of Republicans support the safety of the MMR vaccine compared to over 90 percent of Democrats.
- ▪Republican pollster Whit Ayres stated that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine skepticism contrasts with roughly 80 percent of Republicans who express confidence in childhood vaccines.
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