Addressing the vaccine financing conundrum

An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee recommended a dramatic change in the national approach to financing immunizations in the United States. Major features were an insurance mandate to cover immunization, federal government subsidy for the purchase of vaccines, and vouchers for uninsured people. The National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), while agreeing with many of the IOM observations, did not agree with the recommendations for action. NVAC recommended, among other things, expanding and stabilizing funding through the existing Vaccination Assistance Act (Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act), expansion of the Vaccines for Children program, and assurance of adequate reimbursement for administration of vaccines.