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Health insurance reform is coming from the Trump administration. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discusses these changes to to US health insurance.
A group of prominent medical organizations is suing the U.S. government over a controversial decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women.
The federal lawsuit, filed in Boston on Monday, targets Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced in May that COVID-19 shots would no longer be included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations for healthy children and expectant mothers.
Why are doctors suing the government?
The backstory:
For years, the CDC had recommended COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans ages 6 months and older, based on guidance from infectious disease experts and a public review process. That changed in late May, when Kennedy—long known for his anti-vaccine views—directed the CDC to remove COVID-19 shots from its guidance for otherwise healthy children and pregnant women.
The move prompted backlash from across the medical community, with critics saying the shift undermines trust in vaccines and sidesteps the scientific process that has shaped U.S. immunization policy for decades.
What we know:
The lawsuit was filed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance. Also joining is a pregnant doctor from Massachusetts, listed as "Jane Doe," who claims the change makes it harder to access the vaccine.
The suit accuses Kennedy and the Department of Health and Human Services of violating federal procedures, replacing expert advisors with anti-vaccine voices, and creating confusion for patients and doctors alike.
FILE - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pictured in a television studio. Kennedy is facing a lawsuit from doctors and public health groups over his decision to remove COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for most children and pregnant women. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images))
"This is causing uncertainty and anxiety at almost every pediatric visit that involves vaccines," said Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
She added that the decision comes at a dangerous time, with U.S. pediatric flu deaths at a 15-year high and measles cases surging to levels not seen in more than 30 years.
What they're saying:
The pregnant doctor who joined the suit said she wants access to a COVID-19 booster to protect her unborn child. While her attorneys initially said she had struggled to find the shot at pharmacies and clinics, they later clarified that she had not yet tried to get vaccinated.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said Kennedy "stands by his CDC reforms."
Lead attorney Richard H. Hughes IV said the case was filed in Massachusetts because several plaintiffs, including the unnamed doctor, are based there—and because of the state’s historic role in shaping U.S. public health law.
"We think it is significant and very meaningful," Hughes said, pointing to Massachusetts’ role in the 1905 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld states’ power to require vaccinations.
What's next:
The lawsuit could become a high-profile legal test of federal health authority and the limits of political influence on vaccine guidance. No court dates have been announced yet, but the case is expected to draw national attention as the 2025–2026 respiratory illness season approaches.
The Source: This article is based on reporting from the Associated Press, which covered the lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, as well as statements from medical organizations, Health and Human Services, and the attorneys involved. Additional background comes from prior CDC guidance and recent public health data.