1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose the recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices vote to narrow hepatitis B vaccination guidance for newborns and to take immediate action at the state level to protect New York children from this dangerous policy change. The ACIP voted 8-3 to recommend hepatitis B vaccination at birth only for infants born to mothers who test positive for the virus, abandoning the universal recommendation that has protected American children for over 30 years. This decision disregards decades of proven success and the strong objections of medical community liaisons who emphasized the policy's effectiveness in reducing hepatitis B cases in U.S. children. Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and the only current ACIP member with previous committee experience, strongly opposed these changes. He stated that the hepatitis B vaccine recommendation is well established as both safe and effective, and warned that the proposed changes will result in more children, adolescents, and adults being infected with hepatitis B. He invoked the medical principle of "do no harm," stating that changing the guidance would cause harm. While the federal government retreats from science-based policy, New York State can lead by maintaining universal hepatitis B vaccination requirements and ensuring insurance coverage. I have insurance through another state and am deeply concerned my children will not be covered under these new federal guidelines. How can I afford to protect them without insurance coverage? The universal birth dose was designed to ensure no at-risk infant falls through the cracks, and New York should not allow fear-mongering tactics to limit our access to healthy children. I ask you to introduce or support legislation that mandates insurance companies operating in New York cover the full hepatitis B vaccination series regardless of maternal status, and to strengthen state vaccination requirements that protect all children. Our children deserve protection based on scientific medical evidence, not theoretical safety concerns. How can you help me ensure my children remain protected?