US Insurers Likely to Cover Updated COVID Shots This Year

29/8/2025 7:20

Broad U.S. health insurance coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine is not likely to change this fall even after the Food and Drug Administration limited the shot to people 65 and older or those with health conditions, sources at two insurance trade organizations said.



Coverage could change starting in January 2026 when health plans offer new annual benefits and depending on the type of recommendations made in the coming months by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outside committee of advisers, they added.



U.S. insurers currently provide broad coverage at no cost for the initial shots and annual COVID boosters based on recommendations from that committee, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, as required by the Affordable Care Act.



Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has questioned the safety of vaccines used against COVID and changed who is eligible for the shots. He replaced all 17 advisory committee members with those who share his views and announced the CDC would stop recommending the COVID vaccine for pregnant women and healthy children.