The Democratic governors of California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii are forming a public health alliance to create their own vaccine recommendations for their states. They say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has become too politicized under the Trump administration.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, also a Democrat, said Wednesday she, too, is concerned about recent changes to vaccine recommendations from the federal government.
In June, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ousted all members of the committee that crafts vaccine recommendations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And last month, the Food and Drug Administration narrowed its guidance for COVID-19 vaccines, saying only those over 65 or those with serious health conditions should get updated COVID-19 shots this year.
When asked about the alliance of West Coast states, Hobbs said, “We’re going to look at the options we have to keep Arizonans safe. That’s certainly an option.”
But insurers will likely still follow federal guidance when it comes to which vaccines they will pay for regardless of what states do, said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association.
“It may change who can get the vaccine a little bit in those states. But in terms of broad policy it has to be — it's a national thing because reimbursement is tied nationally to the Vaccines for Children program and the Affordable Care Act in terms of what health plans are required to cover,” Humble told KJZZ’s “The Show.”
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Roselyn Tso is the former director of the Indian Health Service, which is responsible for providing health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. -
That's especially true in the Mountain West. In most states, if one delivery unit shuts down, the next closest one is more than an hour away. -
More than 30,000 refugees, asylees and other legally present immigrants in Arizona could lose health coverage in a few weeks as new Medicaid eligibility rules take effect. -
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against L'Oréal for the marketing and sale of chemical hair relaxer products containing toxins that have been linked to certain cancers. -
Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani and Democrat Joanna Mendoza sparred over the direction of the country under the second Trump administration as they made their pitch to voters in Arizona’s Congressional District 6, one of just a few competitive districts that could determine which party controls Congress next year.
