Health Care — Florida moves to ban school vaccine requirements

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Florida surgeon general plans to remove all school vaccine mandates  Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said Wednesday the state is working to eliminate vaccine mandates for schools.   © AP The Sunshine State's decades-old vaccine requirements for daycare facilities and public schools mandates children receive inoculations against disease like measles, whooping cough, polio, among others.   Ladapo said the state's health department could remove mandates on about half a dozen vaccines while the state legislature would be needed to remove the rest.   "Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," Ladapo, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said.   Florida is now trying to become the first state to remove vaccine mandates for schools, a move that has shocked health professionals who have long advocated for vaccine mandates in schools to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.   Health officials who spoke with The Hill warned that Ladapo's decision will have ripple effects across Florida communities and possibly the nation given the state's popularity among tourists.   More than 40 million people visited Florida between January and March 2025 alone, according to the governor's office.   "I would argue that this is the worst public health decision I've ever seen [from] a state health official," said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. "This guy will have dead children at his feet."  Florida is among the U.S. states with a measles vaccination rate below 90 percent, with the coverage rate of kindergarteners during the 2023-2024 sitting at 88.1 percent. An ideal coverage rate is considered to be 95 percent to prevent outbreaks.  That coverage rate is lower than that of Texas's — 94.3 percent — where one of the worse measles outbreaks in decades occurred this year, spreading through West Texas communities with vaccination rates significantly lower than average.  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: States unveil vaccine coordination plan, in snub to RFK Jr. Related video: Changes Atop the CDCA coalition of West Coast, Democratic-led states on Wednesday announced a new public health alliance formed in defiance of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the states saying it will provide “science-driven” advice on vaccines. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) announced the launch …  Full Story 1 in 4 Americans trust RFK Jr. with medical advice  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the face of the federal government’s health care policies, but a new poll suggests few Americans trust his advice when it comes to their own medical decisions. An Economist/YouGov poll released Wednesday found that 26 percent of respondents said that they at least “somewhat” trust Kennedy’s medical advice, compared to 48 percent who said that they distrust him. …  Full Story RFK Jr. critic blocked from FDA vaccine advisory panel Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccine expert who has often criticized Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been blocked from serving on a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisory panel.  According to a spokesperson for the HHS, Offit was among several FDA advisory committee members whose Special Government Employee terms expired, making them ineligible to participate.   …  Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday where he's expected to face intense questioning about the chaos happening at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under his rule.  In Other News  Branch out with a different read: FDA commissioner on new COVID-19 vaccine rules: 'Can't be blind' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary says the agency will not overlook anything in developing new guidelines for updated COVID-19 vaccines. “A lot of people report vaccine injury,” Makary told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Tuesday evening. “A lot of people report complications, including children who have died from the vaccine. So, we can’t just be blind.” COVID-19 … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Nursing homes, health care associations sue Virginia's Youngkin over vetoed nursing home bill (Virginia Mercury)  New Mexico issues public health order to expand COVID-19 vaccine access (KOAT)  Refugees in Kansas and Missouri could lose SNAP benefits any day — and health care cuts are next (KCUR)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Changes at NIH give political appointees greater power to fund or block research (KFF Health News)  RFK Jr. Moves to add more hand-picked vaccine advisory members (Bloomberg)  US prostate cancer rates rose annually over the past decade, new report finds (ABC News)  What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Don't be fooled: There is no substitute for IVF Pregnancy resource centers offer what Planned Parenthood never could   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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