From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Wisconsin Medical Society Board Chair Jerry Halverson on WisPolitics’ “Capitol Chats” podcast says the group can no longer trust that federal health agencies are making the best decisions for patients.
Halverson, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Rogers Behavioral Health, made the comments when asked about a shakeup of federal vaccine recommendations under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A CDC advisory panel last month voted to loosen recommendations for child vaccines and the COVID-19 vaccine.
Halverson said the Wisconsin Medical Society typically reviews its policies every five years to ensure they are still current and needed.
“ And we have historically had a lot of policies that basically say, ‘Well, whatever the FDA says, whatever the CDC says,’” Halverson said. “And we’ve had to really change those policies now because we do not believe that the FDA and CDC at this point are always making the recommendations that are best for our patients.”
Halverson praised Gov. Tony Evers for seeking to ensure continued access to vaccines in Wisconsin amid federal changes. Evers signed an executive order last month ordering relevant state agencies to remove barriers to vaccine access and requiring the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to direct health insurers to cover the COVID-19 vaccine without cost-sharing for patients.
Halverson said vaccine access “should not be encumbered at all.”
“ And we do feel that it is … the government is getting in the way of people getting these life-saving treatments or life-helping treatments,” he said.
Listen to the “Capitol Chats” interview.
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