After months of state public health officials vowing to protect vaccine access amid drastic federal changes, Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday announced state measures designed to break ties with federal immunization policies, ensure the availability of COVID-19 booster shots at retail pharmacies, mandate insurance coverage of vaccines and establish a regional public health collaborative.
“Under the Trump administration, the CDC has been hijacked by people like Robert Kennedy — people who don’t believe in science and people who don’t believe in science-based health care,” Healey said at a press conference, surrounded by state health care and industry leaders and lawmakers focused on health policy.
“As a result, the government is failing its responsibility to Americans, including Bay Staters,” Healey added. “So we’re here to say: This is not going to happen in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, we will not let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy get in the way of patients, and the care, and the treatments and the medication that they want and need.”
Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Massachusetts and health officials across the Northeast will issue guidance later this month surrounding the 2025-2026 flu season.
DPH on Thursday updated its vaccine administration policy, enabling pharmacists to administer vaccines and emergency medications that have been approved by Goldstein. The maneuver promotes the availability and distribution of vaccines in Massachusetts beyond those approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The DPH Commissioner may decide to make recommendations for vaccine use in populations or recommend usage schedules that are not listed in the original, FDA-approved or authorized product information,” the policy states. “Under these circumstances, qualified pharmacy personnel may administer those vaccines in accordance with the most current DPH Commissioner recommendations, even if the recommendations differ from the manufacturer’s FDA-approved or authorized labeling.”
The revised policy comes as Massachusetts also looks to extricate itself from recommendations made by the CDC’s revamped federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Healey in July filed legislation that would disentangle state vaccine policies from that panel, enabling Goldstein to establish “routine childhood immunizations” for all residents younger than 19 years old. Healey also incorporated a similar provision into a spending bill filed in August that remains before a House committee.
The Division of Insurance and DPH issued a bulletin Wednesday requiring insurers to cover vaccines that are “recommended by DPH and not rely solely on CDC recommendations,” the Healey administration said. The bulletin applies to respiratory virus vaccines — including for COVID, flu and RSV — plus routine childhood shots, such as for measles, chickenpox and Hepatitis B.
Healey pointed out no other state has taken a similar approach yet.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans support the insurance directive, administration officials said.
“As Massachusetts takes steps to empower the Department of Public Health to set independent vaccine standards, MAHP member plans remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring coverage of evidence-based care,” MAHP CEO Lora Pellegrini said in a statement. “MAHP and our member plans stand ready to work with the Healey Administration, providers, and public health leaders to ensure that every Massachusetts resident has access to the immunizations they need to stay healthy.”
MassHealth and the Group Insurance Commission are taking similar measures to provide vaccine coverage, Healey said.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, who’s long voiced skepticism about vaccines, this summer fired all ACIP members and installed new appointees. The panel is slated to hold its next meeting on Sept. 18-19, with votes expected on COVID vaccines.
Kennedy in May announced the CDC would no longer recommend COVID shots for healthy pregnant women and children.
“While we hope that their process will utilize a thorough review of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, DPH is prepared to move quickly to provide clear communication, reduce confusion and maintain access to these vital protections,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein said he will have “final say” over state-level guidance. The state will also vet policies through the Massachusetts Vaccine Purchasing Advisory Council, national professional societies and regional public health partners, he said.
Healey, asked about potential federal pushback to Massachusetts charting its own vaccine path, told reporters, “I have an obligation to take care of and look after the well-being and the public health of people in Massachusetts.”
“And I will continue to uphold my responsibility and my constitutional duty,” she added.
The FDA last week approved COVID shots but restricted their availability among healthy children and young adults, the AP reported. The FDA also revoked the emergency authorization for Pfizer’s shot to children under 5 years old. Shots were previously available to all individuals six months and older, regardless of health conditions, according to NPR.
In light of the FDA changes, CVS last week said the pharmacy chain could not administer COVID vaccine shots in Massachusetts, Nevada and Mexico, even to individuals with prescriptions, “due to the current regulatory environment,” according to CBS News. Walgreens was also limiting access to the shots.
In a countermeasure, DPH has issued a standing order that will allow pharmacists to administer COVID booster shots to Bay Staters over age 5. The Board of Registration in Pharmacy posted the standing order Wednesday, outlining the various types of COVID shots that can be administered to individuals ages 12 and older, as well as to children ages 5 to 11.
Healey said CVS and Walgreens will start scheduling COVID vaccination appointments on Friday. Children under age five can receive COVID vaccines from their pediatricians, the administration said.
Goldstein, pressed on who is eligible to receive COVID boosters at those pharmacies, noted the state has yet to release guidance for the upcoming flu season.
“We still have our active recommendations for 2024-2025, and those recommendations say that anyone six months and older is eligible for a COVID vaccine,” Goldstein said. “We recommend, if someone wants to get it right now, they look to those eligibility criteria.”
Among adults ages 19 and older in Massachusetts, roughly 80% of COVID vaccines were administered in pharmacies during the 2024-2025 flu season, according to DPH.
Massachusetts is also spearheading an initiative to establish a public health collaborative with states in New England and the Northeast. The collaborative will develop “evidenced-based” recommendations for vaccines, disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and supporting state public health labs, Healey’s office said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson launched the West Coast Alliance on Wednesday, aimed at coordinating regional public health guidance. The group, citing “recent federal actions that have undermined the independence of the CDC and raised concerns about the politicization of science,” will start off by focusing on immunization policy.
“The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science. California, Oregon and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk,” the governors said in a joint statement.
Florida on Wednesday announced plans to end all vaccine mandates, including for students. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said at a press conference that each vaccine mandate “is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” according to CNN.
Healey called Florida’s action “crazy.”
“I think Ron DeSantis is putting politics over public health,” Healey said. “I think a lot of people are going to think twice about going to Florida. I don’t think measles was a souvenir that you were looking to return with after a trip to Disney World.”
Vaccine policy turbulence at the federal level has been compounded by escalating hesitancy and skepticism, leading to a lower uptake in immunizations.
New poll results Thursday from Massachusetts Families for Vaccines show that 70% of registered voters support bills from Rep. Andy Vargas and Sen. Ed Kennedy (H 2544 / S 1557) that would eliminate the religious carveout for immunizations required in public, private and charter K-12 schools. The proposals had a hearing in early June.
The vast majority of respondents also said they believe childhood immunizations are safe and effective, according to the poll conducted by Beacon Research.
“To protect our classrooms, our families, and our most vulnerable residents from preventable diseases, it is important that we remove the religious exemption loophole,” Vargas said in a statement. “We would be catching up to neighboring states and even the Texas Catholic schools, which no longer recognize religious exemptions.”
