Health Care Financing Committee
The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be recorded in
support of House 348, "An Act Establishing a Massachusetts
Childhood Vaccine Program," legislation that will allow for the
cost-effective delivery of immunization services to Massachusetts
children.
This legislation would formalize a new funding approach that
would enable the state to maintain its leadership role in childhood
immunizations. The bill would create a Vaccine Purchase Trust
Fund funded through federal and state sources, along with an
assessment of health insurers proportionate to the number of
children that they cover who are ineligible for federally purchased
vaccine. Purchase of vaccine would be made through the
federal procurement system, reducing the cost by about 40
percent. Under this approach, all routine childhood
immunizations and recommended adult immunizations would be covered
without co-payment, coinsurance, deductible or other limits,
assuring the public health of our Commonwealth. While the
Commonwealth adopted a similar temporary funding mechanism as part
of the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget, this legislation is necessary to
assure that adequate funding for immunization is available on an
on-going basis.
This bill builds upon the Massachusetts Immunization Registry,
established within the Department of Public Health to record
personal immunization histories, allowing for better public health
coordination, including during times of natural disaster and
communicable disease emergency.
We urge the Committee to report out this measure favorably.
