In 1994, the Vaccines for Children program was implemented. The VFC provides no-cost vaccines to kids

who lack health insurance or whose families can't afford the cost of vaccination.

I'm Sarah Rosenbaum. I am an emeritus professor of health law and policy at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington

University. Rosenbaum played a key role in helping then-President Bill Clinton develop a national

vaccine initiative. And the Vaccines for Children program, which was made part of Medicaid,

addressed two key issues. The first was to make sure that the coverage that Medicaid agencies

provided for vaccines met the standard set by public health experts. And to accomplish that,

the VFC program covers the entire cost of vaccine.

That means the federal government puts the entire bill for pediatric vaccinations,

something that amounts to billions of dollars today.

Rosenbaum says the second thing the program did was to address what she saw as the single

greatest impediment to properly

vaccinating children. Once again, it came down to money. What vaccines for children did was to

empower the HHS secretary to negotiate with the manufacturers directly. And then the manufacturers

literally deliver, ship and deliver

the vaccines right to the doctor's office. So other than having to bill for the administration

fee, there is no charge to the doctors. Under the VFC, childhood vaccination rates,

particularly those from low-income backgrounds, soared.

The VFC has provided more than 71.5 billion doses of pediatric vaccines to more than 37,000 vaccine providers.

So it's been one of Congress's most effective programs for preventive health. And, of course, it's a central

achievement of the Medicaid program for children. It is also a program that Robert F. Kennedy,

Jr. would oversee if he's confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Exactly what

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