Rhode Island Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Protect Vaccine Coverage

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island lawmakers have introduced a bill to protect coverage for routine childhood and adult vaccines.

The legislation brought by state Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa and House Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Susan Donovan would protect the coverage under Rhode Island law.

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The law would require state-regulated health insurers in Rhode Island to cover vaccines recommended by the Rhode Island Department of Health without cost-sharing barriers, according to a media release.

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“Vaccination has been one of the great success stories of public health, protecting not only the vaccinated but also entire communities,” Donovan, D-Bristol, Portsmouth, said in the release.

“We don’t have to speculate about the risks of not protecting access to vaccinations,” Ujifusa, D-Portsmouth, Bristol, said in the release.

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“We can see them in real time, with measles outbreaks emerging as anti-vaccine messages have gained traction,"Ujifusa said. "Rhode Island is acting now to make sure cost and uncertainty never stand in the way of basic public health.”

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Last year, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the independent panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine recommendations, according to the release.

"The committee was subsequently reconstituted with new appointees, including individuals who have previously been skeptical of the efficacy of vaccines and federal pandemic response," the release said.

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