MY TURN: A public health unraveling we cannot ignore
In the last few months, we’ve seen a troubling shift in federal health policy that will have direct consequences here in North Idaho and across the nation. Millions of Americans are facing the loss of health care coverage, while access to vaccines, the very tools that helped us push back deadly diseases, has been deliberately narrowed. The combination of these forces threatens not only the health of individuals but the stability of our health care system as a whole.
Recently, federal recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines in healthy children and pregnant women were rolled back. Pharmacies in many states now require prescriptions to provide boosters, and insurance coverage has become uncertain. In some places, these vaccines are no longer available at all. The cost barrier is staggering, over $200 per shot for those without coverage. At the same time, hundreds of millions of dollars in vaccine research and development contracts have been canceled.
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