Washington state’ Department of Health and the West Coast Health Alliance (WCHA) continue to recommend childhood and adolescent vaccinations in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Immunization Schedule. This stance follows recent, significant federal changes that reduce the number of vaccines routinely recommended for U.S. children. These changes were made outside established scientific processes and without input from medical or public health experts.
The new federal guidelines remove routine immunization recommendations for several diseases that can cause severe illness, hospitalization and even death, including hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, RSV, influenza and meningococcal disease.
In Washington state recommendations continue to align with the AAP schedule, which is grounded in decades of scientific research.
For now, WCHA does not expect the federal changes to affect vaccine insurance coverage during the current plan year. All vaccines recommended as of Dec. 31, 2025, will remain covered by public and private insurers. (Darcy Jaffe)