As Maine is grappling with its first case of measles since 2019, lawmakers last week considered two bills that would increase access to vaccines by expanding the ability of pharmacists to prescribe and administer vaccines, requiring insurance carriers to cover vaccines and allowing the Maine Vaccine Board to consider recommendations from trusted medical organizations in addition to those put forward by the federal government.

The measures come at a time when the federal government is reducing the number of vaccines it recommends and as the nation contends with at least 733 confirmed measles cases across the country as of Feb. 5.

A person who went to the emergency department at St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor on Feb. 3 tested positive for the measles virus.

One of the bills, L.D. 2146, requires the Maine Vaccine Board to consider recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians or the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists when determining which vaccines must be made available through the state’s immunization program, which was established to ensure all Mainers had access to a uniform set of vaccines.

The board currently must consider vaccines available under contract or recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Senate President Mattie Daughtry, a Democrat from Brunswick who introduced the bill, said the measure is necessary to protect access to vaccines and make state vaccine policy “untethered” from federal mandates.

“If federal actions create uncertainty or a retreat from long-standing, science-based standards, Maine must have the authority to step in and ensure that access to critical vaccinations remains clear, stable and grounded in evidence and science,” Daughtry told the Maine Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services committee on Tuesday.

Beginning last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has made multiple changes to sideline vaccine use. For example, it announced rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccines are no longer recommended for routine use by all children.

L.D. 2146 would also allow the state vaccine board to request state funding to cover recommended vaccines for children who qualify under the Vaccines for Children Program if federal funding is not available. 

In addition, the bill would protect pharmacists from liability for administering vaccines outside federal guidance as long as they follow guidelines recommended by the state.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services submitted written testimony in opposition to the bill. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said she was “strongly aligned with the sponsor’s intent in this legislation.”

However, specifying the organizations that the vaccine board should consider recommendations from would limit its flexibility and neutrality, she wrote. In addition, directing the board to request state funding in certain circumstances could slow down its response to evolving public health emergencies, she wrote.

A second bill, L.D. 2071, would allow pharmacists to vaccinate adults without requiring a prescription from their doctor. Pharmacists would be allowed to vaccinate children over the age of 6 months against COVID-19 or influenza; and they could administer a vaccine to anyone with a prescription who is 3 or older.

The bill would also require insurance carriers and MaineCare to cover vaccines without a deductible, copayment or coinsurance.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Sally Cluchey, D-Bowdoinham, and cosponsored by Rep. Amy Arata, R-New Gloucester.

Arata told the committee she has previously voted against mandated vaccines, and her position hasn’t changed.

“Just as the government shouldn’t require vaccinations, it also should not prohibit it. The current statute creates a barrier that will prohibit some Mainers from obtaining the vaccinations they want,” she said.

Arata said the bill would make vaccines more accessible and affordable for those who choose to get them. With a shortage of primary care doctors, it can be difficult to get an appointment for a vaccine, she said, which can be required for travel or for some jobs. 

In Maine, vaccine rates for kindergarteners have remained high since 2019 when the state eliminated a nonmedical exemption to vaccination. Under state law, all kindergarten students in a public or private elementary school must have the following vaccines: diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DTaP); poliomyelitis; measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); and varicella (VAR). 

For the 2024-2025 school year, 97 percent of children in public and private schools received all of those vaccines. 

The next work session for both bills is scheduled for Feb. 17.

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit civic news organization. To get regular coverage from The Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here.