September 17, 2025policy changepublic healthvaccine policyinsurance coveragepublic healthprofessional standardsfederalism
AAP breaks from CDC and publishes independent childhood vaccine schedule
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced it would no longer endorse the CDC childhood and adolescent immunization schedule and published its own evidence-based 2026 schedule. The split, the first since ACIP was created in 1964, came after Kennedy's reconstituted ACIP began rolling back COVID and routine vaccine recommendations. AAP urged insurers and state Medicaid programs to cover vaccines on its schedule even when ACIP dropped them.
Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics publishes its own childhood immunization schedule, further breaking from RFK's revamped ACIPAAP releases evidence-based immunization schedule; calls on payers to cover recommendationsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics splits with CDC, releases its own immunization schedule