Jen Kates

Next ACIP meeting (for March 18-19) is now formally noticed in the Federal Register. Matters to be considered and voted on may include "COVID-19 vaccine injuries"

public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-03877.pdf

Opening “Sleepless in Denver” at #CROI2026, @jenkatesdc.bsky.social of @kff.org framed recent U.S. funding cuts as a “fundamental rupture” to the global #HIV response & underscored why new, real-time data on impacts to people’s lives are urgently needed.

A promotional graphic for a virtual event titled "Shifting U.S. Vaccine Policy: Explaining Federal Actions and Exploring Public Opinion," scheduled for February 19, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

On Feb 19, @jenkatesdc.bsky.social, @joshmich.bsky.social, @lizhamel.bsky.social and moderator @mollybrodie.bsky.social will explore recent developments in federal vaccine policy and, based on recent KFF polling, the public’s views about them.

RSVP: https://on.kff.org/406BnWR

Trump administration to block foreign aid from those promoting abortion, DEI and gender identity The Trump administration is expanding its ban on U.S. foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services to include assistance going to international and domestic organizations and agencies that prom...

"Trump administration to block foreign aid from those promoting abortion, DEI and gender identity"
apnews.com/article/trum...

State Recommendations for Routine Childhood Vaccines: Increasing Departure from Federal Guidelines | KFF Starting in May of last year, HHS Secretary Kennedy and the CDC/ACIP began to make changes to the federal vaccine schedule for children, culminating in an announcement on January 5 of this year with t...

NEW: Our latest count of the # of states that have decoupled their childhood vaccine recommendations form the federal government: it's now up to 28. A big increase from just a few months ago.
www.kff.org/state-health...

Here's our KFF tracker of the USG's global health MOUs. Will be updated as more information is made publicly available.
www.kff.org/global-healt...

The New Federal Vaccine Schedule for Children: What Changed and What Are the Implications? | KFF This brief looks at newly announced changes by HHS to the pediatric vaccination schedule, which reduce the number of vaccines recommended for all children. Implications of these changes for childhood ...

NEW: Our take on HHS' changes to the federal vaccine schedule that reduce the number of routinely recommended vaccines for kids, and now make the U.S. an outlier in recommending so few. w/ @joshmich.bsky.social

www.kff.org/other-health...

Whatever one thinks about changes to the pediatric vaccine schedule, it will play out as a natural experiment on the nation’s kids. HHS says the changes will reduce distrust and increase vax rates. But they could do the opposite. We may not know until disease data are out.

Changes to Public Charge Regulations Will Likely Lead More Immigrant Families to Avoid Health Care and Assistance Programs The proposed rule would likely lead to further declines in use of health care and programs among immigrant families. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that one of the benefits of the ...

More from my colleague, @sartiga.bsky.social:
www.kff.org/quick-take/c...

ICYMI: The proposed DHS public charge rule acknowledges that the rule may lead to worse health outcomes, higher prevalence of communicable diseases, and affect state and local economies. 30 day comment period is open. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

UPDATE: The CDC's ACIP meeting (that was postponed) has been re-scheduled for December 4-5. Vaccine safety, and the pediatric vaccine schedule, are on the agenda. Hep-B vaccine will be a big focus.

public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-19872.p...

10 year old: "you can't understand my social dynamics because you are from the 20th century” 🤦👀

Ohio had already made changes awhile back (not related to the start of this administration, which is what we were tracking). In Ohio, you can get a flu or COVID-19 vaccine without a prescription:https://www.pharmacy.ohio.gov/documents/pubs/messages/2024-09-25%20e-news%20september%202024.pdf

26 states have moved to allow pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines without an Rx (5 do so for other vaccines).

13 states require state-regulated insurers to cover COVID-19 vaccines at no cost (4 for other vaccines).

22 states rely on non-federal sources for vaccine guidelines.

Tracking State Actions on Vaccine Policy and Access | KFF With recent federal actions to curtail vaccine access, many states have announced actions intended to maintain broader access. This issue brief provides a snapshot of this rapidly changing landscape, ...

NEW: We analyzed recent state actions on vaccine policy, given narrowing federal guidelines. Overall, 26 states have taken some action; of these, 23 have Democratic governors, signaling a growing red/blue divide in vaccine access. @kff.org Key findings in next post ⬇️
www.kff.org/covid-19/tra...

States rally to offset fracturing of federal healthcare agencies: ‘Diseases don’t see state lines’ Changes to regulatory or information environments will help states decouple from federal health recommendations

The pressure is increasingly falling on states to navigate recommendations and new federal rules.

Before, "in general, it didn’t matter where you lived,” said @jenkatesdc.bsky.social. “Now it does.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

ACIP, CDC, and Insurance Coverage of Vaccines in the United States | KFF This brief provides an overview of vaccine coverage requirements by payer or program, as they relate to ACIP and the CDC.

Currently, private insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid require no-cost coverage of vaccines, which is connected to recommendations made by ACIP and CDC.

If these recommendations are removed, people could face out-of-pocket costs.

We explain:

ACIP, CDC, and Insurance Coverage of Vaccines in the United States | KFF This brief provides an overview of vaccine coverage requirements by payer or program, as they relate to ACIP and the CDC.

With federal changes to vaccine policy & recommendations underway, here's our overview of insurance coverage requirements for vaccines by payer, as linked to ACIP/CDC. As we show, federal changes mean consumers could lose access to free vaccines.
www.kff.org/other/issue-...

Based on our analysis of the current status of PEPFAR programming, it's hard to see how the 85% could be reached. www.kff.org/global-healt...

Department Press Briefing - June 10, 2025 - United States Department of State 2:21 p.m. EDT MS BRUCE: Good, there’s air conditioning in here. (Laughter.) Very good it’s air conditioned. Beautiful June day. Hi, everybody. QUESTION: Hello. QUESTION: Hi. MS BRUCE: Fox – those folk...

From 6/10 @StateDept press briefing on the PEPFAR 85%: it's an estimated 85% of beneficiaries who 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be receiving lifesaving treatment & PMTC services based on 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 of 𝘢𝘭𝘭 operational active awards.
www.state.gov/briefings/de...

Re the ACIP "purge" to "restore public trust". As many have noted, ACIP members are independent, vetted, & follow strict COI rules.
Those dismissed? Almost all are MDs & specialists in pediatrics, infectious diseases, epi, and others head primary care centers.

Administration Releases Additional Details of Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request | KFF On May 30, 2025, the administration released additional details of its Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, including more specific information on funding for global health activities at the State Departm...

The Trump administration released its FY 2026 budget request on May 30. Here's our read-out on how global health programs fare. From what is known thus far, there's a more than $6 billion proposed cut (plus more in the rescission package)
www.kff.org/global-healt...

Federal Vaccine Advisory Committees: Roles and Current Issues | KFF This brief describes four key federal vaccine advisory committees and discusses policy issues and questions they currently face. The four committees are the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Ad...

With changes in vaccine policy underway, @joshmich.bsky.social and I just published a brief on the key independent vaccine advisory bodies that, in the past, were typically consulted before most federal vaccine decisions: VRBPAC, ACIP, NVAC, and ACCV.
www.kff.org/other/issue-...

hopefully! Though w/o a specific rec, I think it is not necessarily guaranteed? Or at least could be challenged as such.

The CDC vaccine schedule is now updated; COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for healthy pregnant woman. This means there will no longer be mandated insurance coverage, even if a decision were to be made by a pregnant woman and her doctor that getting vaccinated was important.

If you're interested in the status of U.S. global health programs, given the foreign aid review and funding cuts, here are our resources.
www.kff.org/tag/global-h...

MCC compacts with countries follow international treaty law, so ending these compacts is akin to breaking treaties.
www.gao.gov/assets/b-327...

DOGE is shutting down foreign aid agency Millennium Challenge Corporation The agency is offering voluntary early retirement or deferred resignations to its 320 employees and planning to terminate grants to developing countries around the world.

Have to admit, shuttering MCC wasn't (yet) on my bingo card. MCC has been the one U.S. development agency many pointed to as having the approach and accountability mechanisms the rest of the U.S. development enterprise should emulate.

www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

“Treatment is being interrupted in Africa because of this, and…it could also create the spread of a drug-resistant virus.”

@jenkatesdc.bsky.social on our latest episode of One Thing Trump Did, about halting some AIDS relief funding around the world.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The Trump Administration's Foreign Aid Review: Status of PEPFAR | KFF Fact sheet examining actions taken by the Trump administration and their impact on PEPFAR.

Interested in knowing how the Trump administration's #foreignaid review is affecting PEPFAR and other U.S. global health programs? We have a series of new program impact fact sheets (more to come).
www.kff.org/global-healt...