AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
The Department of Health and Human Services either committed an editing error or is offering “all diseases” to Americans via the Affordable Care Act.
On Monday, the department announced an overhaul to its childhood vaccine schedule by recommending fewer of them. HHS officials narrowed recommendations for vaccines against meningitis, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B for kids at higher risk of infection. Moreover, officials said flu and Covid vaccines be based on “shared clinical decision-making.” The department continues to advise children to be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, and other diseases.
On the official HHS fact sheet announcing the changes, New York Times health reporter Maggie Astor noticed something amiss.
At one point, the fact sheet stated that the updated Centers for Disease Control childhood immunization schedule…
Ensures that all the diseases covered by the previous immunization schedule will still be available to anyone who wants them through Affordable Care Act insurance plans and federal insurance programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children program. Families will not have to purchase them out of pocket
“Copy Editing Matters,” Astor posted on Blusky with a screenshot of the offending passage. “[F]rom HHS’s release on the new childhood vaccine schedule, ‘All the diseases will still be available to anyone who wants them.””
The decision by the CDC to overhaul the childhood vaccination schedule was led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaxxer who has falsely claimed vaccines cause autism.
The overhaul drew heavy criticism. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who voted to confirm Kennedy as secretary, slammed the move.
“As a doctor who treated patients for decades, my top priority is protecting children and families,” Cassidy wrote. “Multiple children have died or were hospitalized from measles, and South Carolina continues to face a growing outbreak. Two children have died in my state from whooping cough. All of this was preventable with safe and effective vaccines.”
