Appeals court to hear lawsuit against RFK Jr. vaccine moves

Appeals court to hear lawsuit against RFK Jr. vaccine moves

A federal appeals court will hear arguments Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by medical groups against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, seeking to block his overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule .

© Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press file

In January, Kennedy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made sweeping changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of recommended diseases to be vaccinated against from 18 to 11. The CDC also dropped universal recommendations that all babies should be vaccinated against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue and two types of bacterial meningitis.

Kennedy also fired and replaced every member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with people highly skeptical of vaccines.

Medical groups led by the American Academy of Pediatrics, including the American College of Physicians and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, sued. The lawsuit claimed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and the changes were made arbitrarily and capriciously .

A district court judge initially ruled in their favor and temporarily blocked changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and paused any decisions made by the committee, ruling that Kennedy replaced the members “unlawfully.”

According to the medical groups, changes to vaccine recommendations should be made only with scientific justification . Any efforts to degrade the current recommendations could lead to reduced coverage, increased vaccination hesitancy, increased risk of the spread of preventable diseases, and increased mortality.

The Trump administration appealed, and a hearing on that appeal is set for Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First District.

Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter , we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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Local and state headlines on healthcare:

Texas pediatricians face Paxton investigations for vaccinating children ( New York Times )

Some mental health providers hoping to serve Lane County’s Oregon Health Plan members say they’re facing barriers ( KLCC )

Analysis of Nebraska’s Medicaid work requirement rollout reveals low disenrollment and denials – so far ( Nebraska Public Media )

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

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