Sept. 17 (UPI) — Massachusetts announced that all residents should get vaccinated against COVID-19 and will now require insurance providers to cover state-approved vaccines.
Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday, “We are not going to let Donald Trump or Robert Kennedy take away your ability to make your own health care decisions,” as Massachusetts became the second state to mandate insurance coverage for state-approved vaccines.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released updated COVID-19 vaccine guidelines through 2026 urging all state residents — including children as young as 6 and those at higher risk due to weakened immunity or pregnancy — to get vaccinated.
The FDA, under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., approved the most recent COVID-19 shots in August but placed federal limits on their use.
Earlier this month, Healey said Massachusetts would begin requiring health insurance companies to cover state-recommended vaccines. Illinois followed on Friday with an executive order by Gov. JB Pritzker, making Massachusetts and Illinois the first two states to do so.
These executive actions could mark the beginning of a coalition of governors developing vaccine policies independent of federal authorities.
“Massachusetts will continue to lead with science and protect access to life-saving vaccines,” Healey, 54, said Wednesday in a statement.
The Healey administration’s plan is backed by nonprofit entities Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.
The new state guidelines sharply contrast with federal recommendations from the Trump administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Massachusetts health officials said the state acted after an “extensive review of current scientific data” consistent with respected organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein reiterated Wednesday that vaccines remain the “most effective public health intervention of the past century” and have “saved millions of lives.” He said the guidelines were “grounded in evidence and science, driven by equity and shaped by the lived experiences” of Massachusetts’ 351 communities.
On Monday, Healey called Kennedy a “walking conspiracy theorist who is denying people vaccines and the healthcare they want and need” during a speech to Massachusetts Democrats as she highlighted her administration’s new vaccine coverage mandate for insurance companies.
A recent study found that more than 1.5 million “missing Americans” died in 2022 and 2023 from excess deaths that could have been prevented during the pandemic.
On Wednesday, Healey stressed the state’s action ensures “the people of Massachusetts know that you will continue to be able to get the vaccines you want and need — no matter what happens at the federal level.”
Also Wednesday, former CDC Director Susan Minaret appeared on Capitol Hill to testify before lawmakers about her termination by Kennedy over allegations she refused to route all decisions through political staff.
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