The Chaos of US Vaccine Policy: Helping Journalists Manage Confusion

Shifting Federal Directives Fuel Anxiety for Patients, Families and Clinicians During a June 10 NPF webinar, four experts advised journalists about misinformation, parental concerns and burgeoning state and local advocacy around evolving U.S. vaccine policy. by Rachel Jones, National Press Foundation For journalists who cover public health in 2026, there are a few more intriguing topics to explore than access to vaccines and related policy issues. The U.S. vaccine policy environment has become chaotic over the past 18 months due to significant federal actions, including the replacement of the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Policy (ACIP) panel and revisions to the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule. Shifts in federal guidance and the resulting patchwork of state responses make vaccine policy increasingly difficult to follow — and to explain. To help journalists navigate that terrain, On June 10, NPF hosted the “Vaccines and Government: From DC to the States to Your Provider’s Office” webinar, sponsored by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Four expert speakers provided context and advice intended to stimulate insightful reporting that can help clinicians and families navigate conflicting signals about which vaccines are recommended, which are required and if they’re covered by insurance. Phyllis Arthur, executive vice president and chief of global health with BIO, began the webinar with a detailed outline of significant events that occurred since the beginning of the Trump administration. “You’ll see in January of 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised the entire vaccine schedule,” Arthur said. “They did not remove any vaccines from recommendation, but they changed the type of recommendation for a long set of vaccines that had routinely been recommended for many years. They did this without a vote from the ACIP but through a decision memo. And then there was a very important decision in the courts in a case AAP versus Kennedy, where the judge halted this ACIP set of changes as well as the names the people who were appointed to the committee and said that the ACIP could not meet until they had resolved these issues.” For parents, these policy debates have yielded little more than confusion and anxiety, said pediatrician David Higgins, an assistant professor of pediatrics and public health at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “I mean, put yourself in the shoes of a parent and go back to that slide that Phyllis just shared. We even have a hard time following everything that’s happened in public health. You can’t expect a parent to keep up with this. And so I’ve always, as a pediatrician, had parents that have come in with specific concerns about vaccines. That’s not new. They heard something that this vaccine might cause some safety problem or whatever it is. What I’m hearing more now than ever before are parents that are just confused. And I have families who have vaccinated their first, second, third child, and now they’re coming to me with their fourth child and they’re saying, “I’m not sure I want to vaccinate them.” In response to shifting federal directives, like the May 29 Trump Administration executive order directing the CDC and ACIP to review HHS recommendations about vaccines and take steps to update the U.S. childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule. Many state and local policymakers and advocates have developed their own infrastructure and collaboratives to provide access and education about vaccine safety and efficacy. Speakers: - Phyllis Arthur, Executive Vice President, Chief of Global Health, Biotechnology Innovation Organization - David Higgins, Pediatrician; Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Public Health, University of Colorado School of Medicine & Colorado School of Public Health - Jessica Nix, Reporter, Bloomberg News - Karen Sharpnack, Executive Director, Idaho Immunization Coalition This webinar is sponsored by BIO, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization. This video was produced within the Evelyn Y. Davis studios. NPF is solely responsible for the content.