Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen and Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys urged U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to protect Pennsylvania families by ensuring timely access to lifesaving vaccines.
Ahead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting today, the Shapiro Administration implored the Committee to recommend the vital vaccines listed for discussion and urged the CDC and Secretary Kennedy to approve and implement those recommendations without delay.
If ACIP fails to recommend the vaccines or, even worse, recommends the removal of previously approved vaccines from the current vaccination schedule, the consequences on children’s health and the economic impacts in Pennsylvania will be far-reaching and severe.
“Health care in the United States and in Pennsylvania must be rooted in science — and my Administration is urging the CDC and Secretary Kennedy to promptly approve vaccine recommendations this summer so we can be prepared for the next flu season this fall,” said Governor Shapiro. “Tested, effective vaccines ensure our kids and families are protected from dangerous diseases. Additionally, Pennsylvania is a national leader in life sciences manufacturing and our companies need predictable, timely approval from the federal government to create jobs and grow the economy.”
“Vaccinations are an overwhelming successful public health intervention that for decades have improved the health of the nation,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “Vaccines, including those provided to children at key stages of life, are essential to preventing serious illness, hospitalization and long-term health issues. We urge ACIP to continue its long history of making evidence informed decisions to ensure all Americans have access to life saving vaccines.”
“Pennsylvanians rely on insurance coverage of critical preventive services, including routine vaccines, to help maintain their overall health and wellbeing,” said Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys. “Arbitrarily ending certain vaccine coverage and potentially making people pay what could be hundreds of dollars for vaccines that have been available at no cost to consumers for years is just wrong. It will confuse consumers, increase long-term medical spending, burden public health infrastructure, and increase insurance costs for all.”
Risks to Pennsylvania’s Economy
Delays in approving science-based vaccine recommendations would threaten not only public health in Pennsylvania, but also economic stability for families and employers across the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania is a national hub for biomedical innovations and life sciences manufacturing. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies, maintains its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia, and operates several major facilities spanning the state. An estimated one in four vaccines administered in the United States is supplied by GSK’s Marietta location in Lancaster County.
With Governor Shapiro’s support, GSK plans to invest up to $800 million to expand research, development, and manufacturing capacity at this site – an initiative projected to create at least 200 new jobs and retain over 4,600 existing positions. Merck also manufactures and packages many of its vaccines in its West Point (PA) location and conducts vital vaccine research and development at this site. Pennsylvania is also home to many other leading biopharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly.
Failure to promptly update federal vaccine standards would force biomedical companies operating within Pennsylvania to incur higher operational costs in order to comply with state requirements and unclear federal standards. These added complexities place the companies at a competitive disadvantage and undermine the Commonwealth’s attractiveness for investment and innovation. In the long term, such inefficiencies could stifle Pennsylvania’s economic growth and diminish its leadership in the biomedical sector.
Risks to Access
If ACIP fails to recommend these vital vaccines, insurance companies in Pennsylvania will no longer be required to cover them as routine preventive care. This shift would create financial barriers for families across the Commonwealth, especially those with limited resources. The added cost would also serve as a deterrent for people wanting to stay up-to-date on their vaccinations for fear of the out-of-pocket cost, leading many to delay or forgo important immunizations altogether. This will increase long-term medical spending, burden public health infrastructure, and increase insurance costs for all Pennsylvanians.
When vaccines are not promptly approved and made available following ACIP recommendations, children remain vulnerable to preventable infectious diseases during critical exposure periods – such as the start of the school year or seasonal surges in respiratory illnesses. Delays in vaccine approval for highly contagious diseases can severely disrupt child care centers, undermining their operations and compromising the consistent care for working parents in Pennsylvania who rely on these services.
Influenza and RSV are also a leading cause of missed child care, particularly among infants and toddlers. When children become ill, working parents are often required to remain home, leading to lost income, increased employer burden, and child care instability.
Protecting the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians is a top priority for the Shapiro Administration. Delays in the acceptance and implementation of vaccine recommendations – particularly those endorsed by the scientific and medical experts of ACIP – can have immediate and detrimental consequences for communities across our Commonwealth. Upholding this process will safeguard public health, reduce preventable disease, and reinforce public trust in the nation’s immunization system.
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