So we want to be like Denmark, minus the free education and universal healthcare.
If you’re anywhere near a headline, you’ve probably seen this new mess about changes to the U.S. childhood immunization schedule. These updates come after a federal directive to align U.S. guidance with some “peer nations.” Headlines are loud. Social media is louder. Wellness influencers are loudest.
Above all else, listen to your pediatrician.
First, the most important thing is that kids can (and should!) still get their vaccines. Despite the reorganization of the schedule, children can still receive the full set of vaccines recommended by pediatric experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). These are trusted, educated, experienced experts whose sole job is to keep our children healthy. They are peddling nothing but advice, care, and evidence. No snake oil in sight.
What we’re seeing play out in the U.S. is just more clutter to sow mistrust and perpetuate misinformation. Ask yourself who stands to profit from such mayhem. All I know is that it’s the children who will pay.
Even now, no family should be paying out of pocket; all childhood vaccines remain covered at no cost to families. That includes vaccines now labeled as “shared clinical decision-making.”
Coverage continues through:
- Private insurance plans regulated by the Affordable Care Act
- Medicaid
- The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program
Let me reiterate, clinicians, hospitals, and states can continue to offer these vaccines at no out-of-pocket cost to patients. If a family is being charged for a recommended vaccine, that’s a red flag, not a new rule. And most notably, the science did not change. The research behind childhood immunizations remains strong and unchanged. My own children are vaccinated. I am proudly fully vaccinated.
I’ve spent the last 14 years advocating for vaccine access through the Shot@Life program. I am grateful to the Shot@Life team and my fellow advocates for creating a space to champion public health from the perspective of a mom who just wants all kids to chase joy. This advocacy work is something that marries my sense of purpose and joy, and as a sidebar, it speaks volumes about an organization that keeps me driven and engaged for this long.
And now, the recent news from grifters in D.C. leaves me enraged. Pediatric and health experts continue to support the full vaccine schedule because it works. We lose perspective because vaccines have been so successful in public health that we don’t see polio anymore, and until recently, thanks to a shaky house of health and human services, we hadn’t seen measles or whooping cough either. There is nothing remotely close to health, humanity, or service in this administration.
They are intentionally making us feel unsettled by creating:
- Confusion for parents trying to do the right thing
- Extra hurdles during pediatric visits
- Uncertainty around school and childcare center requirements
- Challenges using combination vaccines that reduce the number of shots and visits for kids
- Stressors for healthcare providers
None of this improves care. It just makes parenting harder. And my god, parenting is hard enough under the best of circumstances! We already have a society that doesn’t value, trust, respect, or pay teachers. Are we seriously going to do this to pediatricians too?
What you can do now:
- Talk with your child’s pediatrician. They will always err on the side of good health for your child.
- Ask for the vaccines recommended by pediatric experts.
- Trust the evidence.
- Tell a friend to help spread information instead of disease.
- Thank a scientist! Just stop for a moment and marvel at the science and the dedication of scientists.
We build healthy, resilient, joyful communities when we take care of each other.
Vaccines are magical in how they give us a protective shield and collective protection too. Children deserve such protection, parents deserve honesty, and families deserve systems that make care easier, not muddier.
If we don’t start getting loud and bold now rather than capitulate and fall into the narrative that everything is a political lightning rod, vaccine preventable deaths will be like deaths from guns in this country. Everyone will be afraid to talk about it for fear upsetting the right rather than speaking up for the right side of history. It doesn’t have to be this way. Children are not political pawns. And avoiding anything for fear of being “political” just amounts to silence.
Let’s make some noise.
Here are some handy resources from people who know what they’re doing:
- Linked here is the Common Health Coalition (CHC) summary of potential impacts and actions for health leaders
- A full brief from The Evidence Collective (TEC) is available here.