Impact of Latest Congressional Actions on Immunization Programs
Dec 12, 2017

By Erica DeWald, Director of Advocacy, Every Child By Two/Vaccinate Your Family

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As we near the end of 2017, we want to extend a big thanks to each of you! Without your support for immunizations, our voice would not be heard in Washington. Only through regular outreach to our lawmakers have we been able to demonstrate the impact federal policies would have on vaccination rates and thus our country’s health.

Unfortunately, our work for the year isn’t over yet. We are still closely monitoring the appropriations process as well as the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Program (CHIP), which provides health coverage for 8.9 million children who are uninsured.

Congress has twice extended the deadline for an FY18 spending bill. The next Continuing Resolution (CR) expires December 22. A new proposal from House Appropriations Chairman Frelinghuysen would extend funding for all non-defense spending through January 19 and reauthorize the CHIP funding for five-years. Unfortunately, the proposal also includes $6.35 billion in cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF). As a reminder, PPHF accounts for 53% of the Immunization Program’s funding.

The Immunization Program’s non-PPHF funding also remains in jeopardy. The Senate has proposed level funding from FY17 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Program (which received a 4 million dollar cut last year), while the House has proposed a 50 million dollar cut. That large of a cut would devastate immunization infrastructure. 

Both CHIP and the Immunization Program enjoy bipartisan support but Congress has had difficulty understanding how their funding choices affect our nation’s health. If fewer children are able to access health care through CHIP – either because Congress is delaying reauthorization or because they have instituted new demands that states match funds – then less children will end up receiving life-saving vaccines. Second, if Congress uses Prevention & Public Health Fund (PPHF) dollars to help pay for CHIP as proposed in the House bill, they are in fact cutting essential funds from the very public health clinics and immunization programs that accept CHIP and provide care to children.

Please consider calling your Representative and Senators to urge them to support ALL public health funding. Ask them to reauthorize CHIP without using the PPHF as a budgetary offset. You can find contact information for your legislators at whoismyrepresentative.com.

Every Child By Two/Vaccinate Your Family will continue to watch these legislative issues and do our best to keep you informed.   

Thank you again for your interest and support!


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