Julian Polaris, Elizabeth Dervan, Mandy Cohen, Patti Boozang, Krusheeta Patel, Catherine Kuchel, and Rawan Latif, Manatt Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes recommendations for appropriate vaccine use, informed by recommendations from its Advisory Committee for Immunization Practice (ACIP). In September, ACIP voted to: 1) recommend shared clinical decision making for individuals 6 months and older for the COVID-19 vaccine; and 2) cease recommending the combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) for children under age 4. On October 6, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that CDC had formally adopted ACIP’s recommendations.
As states and others respond to these developments and prepare for potential additional changes in the future, this toolkit provides an overview of key policy issue areas impacted by CDC/ACIP recommendations, as well as changes to the Food and Drug Administration’s approval and licensure, where relevant, with guidance to help states support continued vaccine access and maximize flexibility on the ground.
H.R. 1 will bring wide-reaching changes to the Medicaid program and as these provisions take effect, states will face questions about how the changes are impacting both the Medicaid program and the individuals who rely on it for coverage. This expert perspective outlines the case for state H.R. 1 data dashboards, provides practical design guidance, and highlights successful examples of recent state dashboards.
