Lawmakers introduce legislation to protect vaccine access in Pennsylvania
Rep. Arvind Venkat August 28, 2025 | 12:21 PM
HARRISBURG, Aug. 28 – In the wake of major changes to a federal vaccine advisory panel that could threaten Pennsylvanians’ access to life-saving immunizations, state Reps. Arvind Venkat, Bridget Kosierowski and Tarik Khan, all health professionals, have introduced legislation that would protect Pennsylvanians’ access to recommended vaccines.
The legislation, H.B. 1828, would require private insurers to cover vaccines that have been recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The department would be able to draw upon the expertise of professional medical societies in that recommendation, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Venkat said the legislation is needed to ensure that critical immunization protections remain available to Pennsylvanians after recent developments from the federal government.
“We have seen the firing of all members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and their replacement with several anti-vaccine activists. We have also seen the firing and resignation of the entire leadership of the CDC due to their unwillingness to support anti-vaccine policies,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “This is a major issue we are already seeing the consequences of with the recent measles outbreak across the country and the non-evidence-based restrictions on access to COVID immunizations.”
ACIP is a deliberative body that makes binding recommendations under the Affordable Care Act and the Vaccines for Children program on vaccine coverage and use in the United States.
“As a physician, I know how powerful vaccines at all stages of life can be for preventing or mitigating disease. If ACIP stops recommending certain FDA-approved vaccines, insurers will no longer have to cover them, and critical immunizations that protect children and vulnerable Pennsylvanians from deadly diseases could disappear. As ACIP calls into question the scheduling of vaccines for the flu, measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox, we need to act before it is too late.”
Venkat said that a decision by ACIP to remove certain vaccines from the recommended schedule of childhood vaccines could also prompt schools to remove vaccination requirements, leading to parents – forced to pay out of pocket for the costs – deciding to forgo them.
It is estimated that vaccines have saved 154 million lives worldwide over the last 50 years.
Along with Venkat, Khan and Kosierowski, 25 other state representatives have co-sponsored the legislation. The legislation has been referred to the House Insurance Committee for consideration.