RFK Jr. Targets Vaccine Injury Program
Health Secretary seeks reforms to speed compensation, but experts warn of risks to vaccine supply.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., founder of the vaccine-skeptical Children's Health Defense and a longtime critic of pharmaceutical incentives for vaccine safety, vowed Monday to overhaul the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). He argues it erodes manufacturers' accountability.
Congress established the VICP in 1986 amid lawsuits that nearly drove vaccine makers from the market. It shields companies from direct suits, with the government compensating proven injuries. From inception through 2023, it awarded about $4.8 billion, averaging $450,000 per case from 2006-2020, at roughly one payout per million doses distributed.
In an X post, Kennedy wrote: "I will not allow the VICP to continue to ignore its mandate and fail its mission of quickly and fairly compensating vaccine-injured individuals."
Kennedy has tapped Andrew Downing, a veteran VICP litigator, for his team. Last month, HHS contracted Downing's firm, Brueckner Spitler Shelts, for $150,000 in program expertise.
Proposed changes include shifting COVID-19 vaccine claims from the restrictive Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program, extending the three-year filing limit, and potentially covering conditions like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD, speech delays, and autism—despite scientific consensus finding no vaccine link. Autism diagnoses rose even after thimerosal's removal from most childhood vaccines.
Experts caution that easing liability could prompt manufacturers to exit the market or hike prices. Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, a former Merck vaccine executive, said: "If his unstated goal is to basically destroy the vaccine industry, that could do it."
In confirmation hearings, Kennedy avoided VICP specifics, stating: "I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking vaccines. As I testified to the Committee, I am not anti-vaccination. I support transparency and sound data for vaccines.”
These protections have stabilized vaccine access; reforms must balance fairness without undermining production.
Sources: ProPublica, New York Times, Reuters, Claims Journal, HRSA, Axios.