In a year marked by seismic shifts in national vaccine policy, Colorado is carving its own path—one that state leaders hope will protect residents from what they see as growing confusion and politicization at the federal level. The recent overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), orchestrated by U.S. Health Secretary and long-time vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has left many states scrambling to respond. But Colorado, acting on foresight, had already set the stage to sidestep federal turmoil.
On September 19, 2025, the CDC’s ACIP made headlines by declining to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone, including high-risk groups such as seniors. Instead, the panel advised that individuals consult with healthcare providers to make personal decisions. For adults 65 and older, the committee recommended vaccination only after a conversation with a healthcare provider. The panel also moved to restrict the use of the MMRV combination vaccine—protecting against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox—for children under four, suggesting separate shots instead. These decisions, according to The Associated Press, were met with immediate concern from public health experts and state officials alike.
Colorado’s response to this federal pivot has been both swift and strategic. Earlier in 2025, lawmakers passed House Bill 25-1027, granting the state’s Board of Health the authority to set vaccine schedules based on guidance from reputable scientific organizations beyond the CDC’s ACIP. This includes respected groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Physicians. The move, as Democratic State Senator and bill sponsor Kyle Mullica explained, was designed to “protect Colorado from dysfunction and anti-science and pseudoscience rhetoric that’s going out there.”
Mullica, who is also an emergency room nurse, didn’t mince words about the federal changes. “There’s no new science, there’s nothing new in these decisions,” he told The Associated Press. “They’re just arbitrarily making these decisions.” He warned that undermining vaccine confidence poses a serious risk to public health, adding, “We have experts, and he’s fired them. They’re not relying on sound science and data, which is really concerning when you’re creating policy that impacts the health of the people of America.”
The shake-up at the federal level has drawn sharp criticism from medical professionals across the country. Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases with the AAP, described the ACIP’s recent meeting as “very, very strange” and accused the panel of orchestrating “a clearly orchestrated effort to sow mistrust and fear in immunizations.” O’Leary, who has followed ACIP meetings for a decade, said the new committee showed a lack of understanding about vaccines, the immune system, and the real-world impact of their decisions on children. “With the COVID discussion, not unexpectedly, there was just, I think, a lot of information that was not rooted in rigorous science,” echoed Dr. Bob Belknap, chair of the Public Health Institute at Denver Health, in an interview with CPR News.
Colorado’s new law means the state isn’t bound to follow the latest federal recommendations. Instead, the Board of Health can consider guidance from organizations like the AAP—an option that has become increasingly important as federal guidance drifts from consensus among major medical groups. According to Hope Shuler, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, “Under the new federal recommendations, the combined MMRV vaccine is limited to children four and older. Parents can still protect their children under four years of age against those highly contagious diseases with two separate shots, and most Colorado families already do so.” Shuler encouraged parents to stay on schedule, even as changes like these risk lowering completion rates.
The state’s proactive stance has been praised by local health leaders. “That was a really helpful thing that the governor and CDPHE (the state health department) have done. They’ve been thoughtful about this,” said Belknap. “We’re better off as a state because of that.” Thanks to a standing order from the state’s chief medical officer, Coloradans do not need a prescription to get a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy—a measure that further insulates residents from federal indecision.
Yet, challenges remain. One of the most pressing is access, particularly for low-income families. The federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides no-cost vaccines to nearly half of Colorado’s children, and the state expects updated COVID-19 vaccines to remain included once CDC approval is secured. “If public health agencies and providers are unable to access those VFC vaccines for children, then that’s gonna make it very difficult,” Belknap noted. The cost of a coronavirus vaccine, he pointed out, is around $165—an amount out of reach for many families.
Insurance coverage is another unresolved issue. While Colorado’s law allows the state to set its own vaccine schedule, it does not guarantee that insurers will cover shots not recommended by federal authorities. Mullica acknowledged this gap, saying, “We have our work cut out for us, not only from a cost perspective. We have our work cut out for us from the fact that parents are going to be getting mixed signals.” He plans to introduce legislation addressing insurance coverage for vaccines approved under Colorado’s schedule, emphasizing that the current law lays the foundation for further action. “I don’t think we’re done,” Mullica said. “It’s a huge concern, and you know early on I said we have more work to do, and this is one of the areas that we have work to do in.”
There is some relief on the horizon. A national health insurance coalition, covering over 200 million Americans, has pledged to continue covering all immunizations recommended by the federal committee as of September 1, 2025, at no cost to patients through the end of 2026. This includes updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Major health insurers have also stated they will continue covering COVID-19 shots through 2026, helping to bridge the gap for many families.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s medical community is mobilizing to counter what it describes as “federal disruptions” in vaccine policy. In September 2025, the Colorado Chooses Vaccines Coalition was launched, supported by a $100,000 grant from the Rose Community Foundation. The alliance brings together medical experts, health providers, community leaders, and policy advocates to promote vaccine access and fight misinformation. “We want to make sure, no matter what happens in Washington, we preserve individual access to vaccines,” said Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, president and CEO of the Rose Community Foundation.
COVID-19 remains a significant threat in the state. According to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, the virus caused 374 deaths statewide in 2024, with the state’s oldest residents hit hardest. Nationally, CDC data shows COVID-19 was responsible for 32,000 to 51,000 deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations last fall and winter.
As the national debate over vaccines intensifies and federal guidance grows more fragmented, Colorado’s approach stands out. By empowering its health board to follow science-based recommendations from trusted organizations—and by proactively addressing access and coverage issues—the state is striving to ensure that its residents are protected from both disease and the confusion swirling around vaccine policy. For now, Colorado’s model offers a rare beacon of clarity in a landscape clouded by uncertainty.
