This story was originally published by Stateline.
At least 17 states have taken steps to ensure broader access to the COVID-19 vaccine since last month, when the federal government significantly restricted eligibility for the shot.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin have issued orders that aim to make it easier for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. All but Virginia have Democratic governors.
Together, the moves represent an extraordinary state rebellion against the public health authority of the federal government.
For decades, states have followed the lead of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on which vaccines Americans should get, and when they should get them. Now, rejecting the antivaccine stance of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an increasing number of states say they will rely instead on their own public health experts and professional medical organizations for that advice.
Previously, the FDA recommended that the COVID-19 vaccine booster be available to anyone 6 months or older. But in August, the federal agency said the booster shot should be limited to two specific groups: people who are 65 and older, and anyone who is at least six 6 months old and has an underlying health condition, such as asthma or obesity, that increases the risk of a COVID-19 infection becoming severe.
Under the new guidelines, children under 18 without an underlying condition can only get the shot if a health care provider is consulted first, meaning parents can’t simply take their kids to a vaccination clinic or pharmacy.
“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” Kennedy wrote on the social media platform X on Aug. 27.
In June, Kennedy ousted the entire vaccine advisory committee at the CDC, replacing some of them with vaccine skeptics. The previous month, he announced that the federal government would no longer recommend that pregnant women get the vaccine.
Currently 43 states — all but Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oregon, Utah and West Virginia, along with the District of Columbia — allow pharmacies to administer FDA-approved shots without a prescription, according to Amy Thibault, a spokesperson for CVS Health.
But the federal government’s new COVID-19 recommendations have sown confusion. Many people are unsure whether their local pharmacy will give them the shot without a prescription — and if so, whether their health insurance will pay for it.
In the 17 states that have acted thus far, governors and state public health officials are trying to clear up that confusion, empower pharmacists to administer the shot and, in some cases, mandate that insurers pay for it.
The latest state to act is Wisconsin. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Monday directing state health officials to create policies that ease vaccine restrictions, and requiring insurers to keep covering the COVID-19 shot.
“Vaccines save lives, folks. Spreading fear, distrust, and disinformation about safe and effective vaccines isn’t just reckless, it’s dangerous,” Evers said in a news release. “RFK and the Trump administration are inserting partisan politics into health care and the science-based decisions of medical professionals and are putting the health and lives of kids, families, and folks across our state at risk in the process.”
In addition to Wisconsin, Colorado , Massachusetts and Rhode Island have required insurers to cover the shot, and Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’s executive order calls on state insurance regulators to “encourage” insurers to do so.
In many of the states, including Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico and Rhode Island, the governor or the chief public health officer issued a standing order clarifying that pharmacies can administer the vaccine without a prescription.
Earlier this month, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order allowing pharmacies in her state to administer the shot to anyone 3 or older through October 5. The order can be renewed, pending action by the legislature.
And in Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania, state authorities directed pharmacists to follow the vaccine recommendations issued by professional groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein issued an order stating that pharmacies can administer the COVID-19 vaccine without a prescription to all adults over 65 and anyone over 18 with a broad range of underlying health conditions. Virginia’s top public health official issued a similar order.
Earlier this month, the Democratic governors of California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington announced the formation of the West Coast Health Alliance to coordinate vaccine recommendations for their states. The states pledged to use guidelines based on advice from leading medical organizations.
Meanwhile, Republican-controlled Florida doubled down on Kennedy’s antivaccine stance, announcing plans to become the first state to phase out all vaccine mandates, including ending requirements that kids be vaccinated against dangerous diseases before enrolling in schools.
At a news conference earlier this month, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said vaccine mandates are “immoral.”
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said of such requirements.
In Louisiana, Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is a physician, suggested last week that state Surgeon General Ralph Abraham should issue a blanket prescription for anyone who wants the COVID-19 shot, the Shreveport Times reported.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry responded angrily on X.
“The last time I checked you have a prescription pad, why don’t you just leave a prescription for the dangerous Covid shot at your district office and anyone can swing by and get one! I am sure big pharma would love you for that one!” Landry wrote.
Stateline reporter Shalina Chatlani can be reached at [email protected]
