Why California Is Tightening Its Vaccine Exclusion Rules
Jessica Biel and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly lobbied yesterday against tightening medical benefits for vaccines in California. The states differ in the requirements for vaccines for schoolchildren: in some countries, a child may refuse vaccination if their parents object to them for “personal reasons.” In other countries, such as California, medical benefits are the only legal way to opt out.
Yes, there are medical reasons why some children cannot be vaccinated.
Vaccines may be contraindicated for several medical reasons. For example, if you are allergic to any ingredient in a vaccine, you may not be able to receive that particular vaccine. And if you are currently critically ill or have recently received a blood product containing antibodies, you probably should not get the vaccine right now, but you can get it later. The CDC describes these situations in the Contraindications and Precautions section of its immunization guidelines .
Parents and doctors seem to be abusing the health insurance exemption policy.
After California lifted the personal conscience exemption in 2015, suddenly more families started applying for medical benefits .
Some of them are for reasons that don’t make sense: This child should not be vaccinated because she has asthma or because someone in the family has a history of autoimmune disorders. Exceptions were also sometimes signed by a person other than a pediatrician. The LA Times reported that one form was signed by someone at a medical marijuana dispensary and that some doctors were touting medical benefits for a fee. Kaiser Health News reports that some schools have “biologically unlikely amounts of medical benefits,” and that doctors are clearly prescribing benefits that do not meet CDC guidelines.
The story that Jessica Biel reportedly told lawmakers seems quite fitting: her family’s doctor told their child that their child should receive routine vaccinations on a regular schedule, so she began looking for another doctor to write an exemption.
California’s Proposed Law Will Continue to Allow Medical Benefits
So what is the law that Bill and Kennedy consider so dangerous? This is SB 276 , which still allows medical benefits. It states that exceptions must be filed in a standardized manner, and that exceptions will be reviewed by the government health inspector and can be approved or rejected.
It also requires that exceptions be stored in the database and that an exception can be rolled back if it is found to be “fraudulent or incompatible with applicable CDC guidelines.”
In fact, the restrictions will be severe enough for the state to ensure that they are only given to children with valid medical conditions. This sounds good to these children as more of their peers will be vaccinated to protect them.