Protecting Free Vaccines Act of 2025
Key claim: The Protecting Free Vaccines Act of 2025 would require Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and private health insurers to cover without cost-sharing all vaccines recommended by CDC ACIP as of October 25, 2024, until January 1, 2030.
Abstract
(S2857 · 119th Congress) Protecting Free Vaccines Act of 2025 This bill requires Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private health insurers to cover, without cost-sharing, vaccines that were recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices as of October 25, 2024. The requirement ends on January 1, 2030. Latest action (2025-09-18): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Why this matters
The bill would lock in the CDC ACIP vaccine schedule as of October 25, 2024 as the coverage floor across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurance through 2030, insulating first-dollar vaccine coverage from any subsequent narrowing of ACIP recommendations. For patients and providers, it means continued zero out-of-pocket cost for the currently recommended vaccine list regardless of downstream ACIP changes; for insurers and state programs, it fixes a statutory coverage baseline through the end of the decade.