On September 4, 2025, a tense Senate Finance Committee hearing unfolded as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently appointed as the nation’s health secretary, faced a barrage of questions over his handling of the covid-19 vaccine rollout and his sweeping changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What began as a discussion about vaccine access quickly expanded into a broader debate about public health, personal responsibility, and the future of America’s premier disease-fighting agency.
Kennedy’s claim that “everybody can get” the covid-19 vaccine sparked immediate pushback from senators, most notably Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). According to reporting from PolitiFact, Warren challenged Kennedy’s assertion, pointing out that the current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance, updated on August 27, 2025, limits the updated covid vaccine to those 65 and older, as well as anyone at least six months old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk for severe covid. For healthy people under 65, access now often requires a doctor’s prescription—and with it, potentially a hefty out-of-pocket bill.
“If you don’t recommend, then the consequence of that in many states is that you can’t walk into a pharmacy and get one. It means insurance companies don’t have to cover the $200 or so cost,” Warren said, highlighting how federal and state policies now leave many Americans in limbo. Kennedy, however, doubled down, insisting, “Anybody can get the booster,” but later conceded, “It’s not recommended for healthy people.” He added, “It depends on the states. But they can still get it. Everybody can get it. Everybody can get it, senator.”
Yet, as PolitiFact and KFF Health News report, Kennedy’s blanket statement glosses over a new, more complicated reality. Healthy people under 65 might need to secure a doctor’s prescription—sometimes requiring an in-person appointment—and then may need to pay the full cost out-of-pocket, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists at around $142 per dose as of September 1, 2025. Whether insurance covers the vaccine is still up in the air, dependent on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a CDC panel that, as of early September, had not yet issued updated guidance. Their next meeting was set for September 18-19, leaving millions uncertain about coverage and access.
The roadblocks don’t end there. Even those in FDA-approved groups—seniors and people with underlying health conditions—face varying access depending on where they live. In 18 states and Washington, D.C., pharmacists cannot administer the vaccine because it is not yet on the CDC immunization schedule, according to the American Pharmacists Association and reporting from PBS NewsHour and USA Today. Scheduling apps for major pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS have, in some locations, notified patients that appointments are unavailable due to state restrictions, inventory shortages, or prescription requirements.
For those outside the FDA’s approved categories, the only legal pathway to vaccination is through an “off-label” prescription from a doctor. This practice, common in pediatrics and other areas, is legal but comes with hurdles: finding a doctor willing to prescribe, paying for the appointment, and potentially paying the full cost of the vaccine. Insurance companies are only required to cover vaccines recommended by the CDC, so until ACIP weighs in, coverage is not guaranteed.
These shifting sands are, in part, a result of Kennedy’s dramatic overhaul of the CDC. On June 9, 2025, he fired all 17 members of the CDC’s immunization advisory committee, replacing many with figures known for anti-vaccine views. Then, on August 27, he fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, who described her dismissal as stemming from a dispute over vaccine policy. Multiple outlets, including The Washington Post and the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, have reported a wave of resignations and a growing sense of brain drain at the agency.
Kennedy’s changes go beyond personnel. According to Advance Local and other sources, he canceled $500 million in contracts funding research into mRNA vaccines—the very technology that proved crucial during the initial covid-19 crisis—and proposed slashing the CDC’s budget in half for the coming year. He’s also revived his controversial theory linking childhood vaccines to autism, a claim repeatedly debunked by scientific research, and appointed what critics call “unqualified conspiracy theorists” to key advisory roles.
During the Senate hearing, Kennedy’s performance drew sharp rebukes from both sides of the political aisle. Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, told ABC’s “This Week,” “You look at that appearance before Congress, and it just confirms what all of us around this table have known for decades: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a foolish man full of foolish and vapid ideas.” Even President Donald Trump, who appointed Kennedy, publicly distanced himself from Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism after the hearing, stating, “They, pure and simple, work.”
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, pressed Kennedy on his contradictory statements. When Kennedy praised Operation Warp Speed—the Trump-era program that funded rapid covid vaccine development—Cassidy pointed out, “But you just told Sen. (Michael) Bennett that the COVID vaccine killed more people than COVID,” highlighting Kennedy’s history as a private activist fighting CDC vaccine promotion. Cassidy added, “It surprises me you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed when as an attorney you attempted to restrict access,” reducing Kennedy to a rare moment of visible discomfort.
Beyond the political drama, the stakes are high for public health. The CDC has long been the nation’s scientific bulwark against infectious disease, credited with leading efforts to eradicate smallpox, fight AIDS, curb smoking and lead poisoning, and contain Ebola outbreaks in Africa. Critics warn that gutting the agency and sidelining its experts could jeopardize the country’s ability to respond to future health crises.
Yet Kennedy insists the CDC is to blame for America’s chronic health woes, telling the Senate, “We are the sickest country in the world. That’s why we have to fire people at CDC. They did not do their job. This was their job to keep us healthy. And I need to fire some of those people to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” But as Advance Local’s national political columnist points out, while it’s true the United States lags behind peer countries on key health metrics—higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure—the CDC has spent decades urging Americans to eat better and exercise more. Most Americans ignore this advice: only one in ten eat enough fruits and vegetables, and about 75% skip regular exercise. “To blame the CDC for our health problems misses all this and slanders the people who are working to protect us. It’s as silly as blaming a storm on weather forecasters,” the columnist writes.
As the CDC’s future hangs in the balance, and millions await clarity on vaccine access, the debate over public health, personal responsibility, and government’s role rages on. The coming weeks—especially the ACIP’s scheduled meeting—will be pivotal in determining whether Kennedy’s vision or the CDC’s legacy prevails.
For now, Americans face a patchwork system where getting a covid-19 vaccine may require persistence, a doctor’s note, and a willingness to pay. The only certainty is uncertainty, as the nation’s health policy undergoes its most dramatic shakeup in decades.
