Connecticut Eyes More Control Over Vaccines

The state’s lawmakers are proposing two new bills that would give the public health commissioner more say in how vaccines are recommended and who pays for them. Currently, the commissioner can only set guidelines for children; the new measures would let him or her create adult recommendations too. The bills also require state‑insured plans to cover every shot the state recommends. One reason for the change is that the federal agency has recently updated its vaccine schedule, and a judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked many of those updates. Governor Ned Lamont says the state needs clear guidance when federal messages seem mixed. He added that following medical science, not politics, is the best path. The proposals would also let Connecticut buy vaccines from sources other than the CDC’s recommended list. The commissioner says that this flexibility is needed because some states have already begun buying from other suppliers after the federal committee’s schedule shifted. Right now, the state can only purchase doses that the CDC says are best.

People who oppose the bills worry that a “standard of care” could pressure people to get all the shots, even if they don’t want them. They fear it might lead to job or medical access problems for those who skip vaccines, and that it could be a step toward mandatory vaccination laws. Some also say the bills might weaken religious protections by making it clear that a state law about religious freedom does not apply to vaccines. The public health committee passed both bills this month, but they still need approval from the full House and Senate before becoming law. The debate reflects a larger national conversation about how much power state governments should have over health policies that are often set at the federal level.

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