Vaccines save lives. They are among the most effective public health measures we have—preventing an estimated 150 million deaths worldwide in the last 50 years. In Pennsylvania, many residents rely on their neighborhood pharmacies and pharmacists to receive vaccines.
 
Under current law, pharmacists’ practice authority to administer vaccines depends heavily on federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But with recent political turmoil and restrictions by the CDC, Pennsylvanians’ access to vaccines is now at risk. Pharmacies recently announced they cannot administer certain vaccines in Pennsylvania due to current state laws on pharmacist practice authority. Pennsylvanians will rather suddenly be without protection from illnesses that can be prevented or mitigated by vaccines unless we act.
 
Governor Shapiro has spoken forcefully on an administrative response to this loss of vaccine access, and we certainly support his executive action in this area of public health policy. But Pennsylvania needs a stronger, permanent solution to ensure pharmacists’ practice authority regarding vaccine administration can also come from recommendations of state health authorities that may be informed by professional medical societies.
 
We recently introduced HB 1828, which would ensure that insurance companies must cover recommended vaccines based not only on federal recommendations, but also on recommendations from Pennsylvania’s health authorities that may be informed by our professional medical societies.
 
We will soon introduce additional legislation to guarantee that pharmacists’ practice authority to provide vaccines can also come from recommendations of Pennsylvania’s health authorities that may be informed by our professional medical societies. This would maintain Pennsylvanians’ access to vaccines through pharmacists, regardless of federal actions that have now paralyzed Pennsylvania pharmacies’ ability to provide this vital preventive health measure.
 
Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation to protect Pennsylvanians’ health by ensuring continued access to life-saving vaccines through pharmacists.