By SUZANNE DOWNING
A new bill introduced by Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, would rewire how Alaska decides which vaccines are officially part of its statewide immunization program for children — and in doing so sever Alaska from emerging changes in federal vaccine guidance.
House Bill 238 makes two significant policy changes that elevate a private medical lobbying organization over evolving federal standards and parental choice.
At the center of the bill is a rewrite of Alaska’s definition of what counts as an “included vaccine.”
Under current law, Alaska relies on the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine which vaccines belong in the state’s immunization program. Gray’s bill would change that.
Under HB 238, for children and adolescents 18 years of age or younger, Alaska would instead defer to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a private professional association that promotes an expansive childhood vaccine schedule and routinely takes positions that go beyond federal regulators. This is the same group that advocates for “gender-affirming care” for children who believe they are a different sex.
The bill language states that an included vaccine means one recommended by ACIP, or for children and adolescents, a vaccine recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That single “or” is pivotal. If ACIP revises, delays, or removes a vaccine recommendation, Alaska would still be legally bound to follow the AAP’s more aggressive position for children.
This is not a theoretical issue. Federal health agencies have begun reassessing Covid-era vaccine guidance for children, including boosters and low-risk populations. HB 238 would block Alaska from following those changes if the AAP continues to push broader vaccination.
The second major change is financial. The bill also amends Alaska’s Medicaid statute to require coverage for immunizations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children and adolescents. That means any vaccine the AAP endorses would automatically become a Medicaid-funded service in Alaska, regardless of whether federal health authorities adopt the same recommendation.
Together, those two changes create a closed loop: if the pediatrics lobby recommends it, Alaska must include it, and taxpayers often will pay for it.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is not a government entity but is a national advocacy organization that receives pharmaceutical funding, lobbies state legislatures, and regularly supports vaccine mandates and reduced parental opt-out options. Over $140 million in Big Pharma funding was awarded the academy in 2025.
By writing AAP recommendations directly into Alaska law, HB 238 would give that private group binding authority over Alaska’s childhood immunization policy, locking Alaska into the most aggressive vaccine advocacy framework in the world at a moment when federal agencies themselves are revising policies.
HB 238 has not yet been scheduled for a hearing, but it is already drawing scrutiny in a state that has traditionally defended parental rights and medical choice.
