Vaccine panel vacancy slows coverage

The federal advisory panel that guides U.S. vaccine policy has no members.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed the experts from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, known as ACIP. A federal judge later halted those changes, ruling they were not carried out correctly. Kennedy has not nominated replacements, leaving the body vacant while new vaccines receive approval.

Patients are feeling the gap immediately. Ron Kroening, 63, sought Moderna's new mRNA flu vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration approved in August for adults 50 and older. He found the shot at a single local pharmacy but faced a $40 co-pay. His insurer denied coverage because the vaccine lacks an ACIP recommendation.

Insurers typically wait for an ACIP recommendation before adding a new vaccine to plans. Coverage usually begins the following January. A recommendation made in December 2026 would not require coverage until January 2028. A recommendation in January 2027 would push the deadline to January 2029. Lindsay Wiley, a law professor at UCLA, called a recommendation next year the best-case scenario for the new flu shot, though she said there is no reason to expect one soon.

The delay affects other decisions too. Some states block pharmacists from administering vaccines without an ACIP recommendation. Insurers appear to be covering new RSV shots despite a halted recommendation from September 2025. Medicare coverage for the new flu shots for seniors has also faced reported delays, even though the law requires it without a committee vote.

The government appealed the court ruling that disbanded the committee. Aaron Siri, a lawyer for Kennedy, wrote on Monday that the White House and the Department of Justice are not making a serious attempt to revive the group. Dorit Reiss, a vaccines expert at UC Law San Francisco, agreed that the federal government is choosing not to install a new ACIP. She warned that the committee's future remains shaky because trust in its independence has been undermined.

Kroening’s insurer belongs to AHIP, an industry group that vowed to keep covering shots recommended as of September 2025. Kroening said he would still choose the new vaccine and is glad he paid, but he is unhappy that insurance did not cover it. "It's a mess right now, what they're doing with our vaccines," he said.