The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 18 : Health

Chapter 021 : Communicable Diseases

Subchapter 004 : Immunization

• § 1130. Immunization funding [Effective until July 1, 2031; see also 18 V.S.A. § 1130 effective July 1, 2031, set out below]

  (a) As used in this section:

  (1) “Health care facility” shall have the same meaning as in section 9402 of this title.

  (2) “Health care professional” means an individual, partnership, corporation, facility, or institution licensed or certified or authorized by law to provide professional health care services.

  (3) “Health insurer” shall have the same meaning as in section 9402 of this title, but does not apply to insurers providing coverage only for a specified disease or other limited benefit coverage.

  (4) “Recommended immunization” means a vaccine or other immunizing agent that provides protection against a particular disease or pathogen and the application of the immunization as recommended by the practice guidelines for children and adults established by the Commissioner pursuant to section 1130a of this title.

  (5) “State health care programs” means any health care program providing immunizations with funds available through State and federal sources.

  (6) “Covered lives” means the number of Vermont residents covered under a health insurance plan provided or administered by a health insurer.

  (b)(1) The Department shall administer an immunization program with the goals of ensuring universal access to recommended immunizations at no charge to the individual and reducing the cost at which the State may purchase recommended immunizations. The Department shall purchase, provide for the distribution of, and monitor the use of recommended immunizations as provided for in this subsection and subsection (c) of this section. The cost of the recommended immunizations and an administrative surcharge shall be reimbursed by health insurers as provided for in subsections (e) and (f) of this section.

  (2) The Department shall solicit, facilitate, and supervise the participation of health care professionals, health care facilities, and health insurers in the immunization program in order to accomplish the State’s goal of universal access to recommended immunizations at the lowest practicable cost to individuals, insurers, and State health care programs.

  (3) The Department shall gather and analyze data regarding the immunization program for the purpose of ensuring its quality and maximizing protection of Vermonters against diseases preventable by immunization.

  (c) The Department shall determine which recommended immunizations shall be purchased under the program. The immunization program shall purchase recommended immunizations consistent with the goals of the program from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or another vendor at the lowest available cost.

  (d) The immunization program shall provide for distribution of the recommended immunizations to health care professionals and health care facilities for administration to patients.

  (e) Health insurers shall remit to the Department the cost of recommended immunizations, as established by the Commissioner based on the recommendation of the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee established in subsection (g) of this section.

  (f) The Department shall charge each health insurer a surcharge for the costs and administration of the immunization program. The surcharge shall be deposited into an existing special fund and used solely for the purpose of administering the program.

  (g)(1) The Immunization Funding Advisory Committee is established to provide the Commissioner with an annual per-member per-month cost for recommended immunizations for the pediatric population, an annual per-member per-month cost for recommended immunizations for the adult population, and a recommendation for the amount of the yearly immunization assessment. The Committee shall comprise the following nine members:

  (A) the Executive Officer of the Board of Pharmacy or designee;

  (B) the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Care Board or designee;

  (C) a representative, appointed by the Director of the Vermont Blueprint for Health;

  (D) three representatives of health insurers, one each appointed by the State’s largest three private health insurers, as determined by the number of covered lives;

  (E) a representative, appointed by the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics;

  (F) a representative, appointed by the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Family Medicine; and

  (G) a representative of employers that self-insure for health coverage, appointed by the Commissioner of Health.

  (2) The Committee shall select a chair from among its members at the first meeting of each calendar year. The Committee shall receive administrative and technical support from the Department.

  (3) On or before January 1 of each year, the Committee shall provide to the Commissioner the annual fiscal assessment and the per-member per-month cost for pediatric recommended immunizations based on the total number of pediatric covered lives reported by health insurers and the per-member per-month cost for adult recommended immunizations based on the total number of adult covered lives reported by health insurers.

  (h) If purchase requirements do not further the goal of ensuring universal access to recommended immunizations for all, the Commissioner may, following consultation with the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee, discontinue the program with six months’ advance notice to all health care professionals and to all health insurers with Vermont covered lives.

  (i) The Department may adopt rules under 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 to implement this section. (Added 2005, No. 191 (Adj. Sess.), § 23; amended 2007, No. 70, § 29; 2009, No. 61, § 42; 2009, No. 156 (Adj. Sess.), § I.20; 2011, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2011, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § C.200, eff. May 17, 2012; 2013, No. 79, § 17, eff. Jan. 1, 2014; 2013, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § E.312.1; 2025, No. 76 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Mar. 24, 2026.)

• § 1130. Immunization funding [Effective July 1, 2031; see also 18 V.S.A. § 1130 effective until July 1, 2031, set out above]

  (a) As used in this section:

  (1) “Health care facility” shall have the same meaning as in section 9402 of this title.

  (2) “Health care professional” means an individual, partnership, corporation, facility, or institution licensed or certified or authorized by law to provide professional health care services.

  (3) “Health insurer” shall have the same meaning as in section 9402 of this title, but does not apply to insurers providing coverage only for a specified disease or other limited benefit coverage.

  (4) “Immunization” means a vaccine or other immunizing agent that provides protection against a particular disease or pathogen and the application of the immunizations as recommended by the practice guidelines for children and adults established by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

  (5) “State health care programs” means any health care program providing immunizations with funds available through State and federal sources.

  (6) “Covered lives” means the number of Vermont residents covered under a health insurance plan provided or administered by a health insurer.

  (b)(1) The Department of Health shall administer an immunization program with the goals of ensuring universal access to immunizations at no charge to the individual and reducing the cost at which the State may purchase immunizations. The Department shall purchase, provide for the distribution of, and monitor the use of immunizations as provided for in this subsection and subsection (c) of this section. The cost of the immunizations and an administrative surcharge shall be reimbursed by health insurers as provided for in subsections (e) and (f) of this section.

  (2) The Department shall solicit, facilitate, and supervise the participation of health care professionals, health care facilities, and health insurers in the immunization program in order to accomplish the State’s goal of universal access to immunizations at the lowest practicable cost to individuals, insurers, and State health care programs.

  (3) The Department shall gather and analyze data regarding the immunization program for the purpose of ensuring its quality and maximizing protection of Vermonters against diseases preventable by immunization.

  (c) The immunization program shall purchase immunizations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the lowest available cost. The Department shall determine annually which immunizations for adults shall be purchased under the program.

  (d) The immunization program shall provide for distribution of the immunizations to health care professionals and health care facilities for administration to patients.

  (e) Health insurers shall remit to the Department the cost of immunizations, as established by the Commissioner based on the recommendation of the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee established in subsection (g) of this section.

  (f) The Department shall charge each health insurer a surcharge for the costs and administration of the immunization program. The surcharge shall be deposited into an existing special fund and used solely for the purpose of administering the program.

  (g)(1) The Immunization Funding Advisory Committee is established to provide the Commissioner with an annual per-member per-month cost for immunizations for the pediatric population, an annual per-member per-month cost for immunizations for the adult population, and a recommendation for the amount of the yearly immunization assessment. The Committee shall comprise the following nine members:

  (A) the Executive Officer of the Board of Pharmacy or designee;

  (B) the Executive Director of the Green Mountain Care Board or designee;

  (C) a representative, appointed by the Director of the Vermont Blueprint for Health;

  (D) three representatives of health insurers, one each appointed by the State’s largest three private health insurers, as determined by the number of covered lives;

  (E) a representative, appointed by the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics;

  (F) a representative, appointed by the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Family Medicine; and

  (G) a representative of employers that self-insure for health coverage, appointed by the Commissioner of Health.

  (2) The Committee shall select a chair from among its members at the first meeting of each calendar year. The Committee shall receive administrative and technical support from the Department.

  (3) On or before January 1 of each year, the Committee shall provide to the Commissioner the annual fiscal assessment and the per-member per-month cost for pediatric immunizations based on the total number of pediatric covered lives reported by health insurers and the per-member per-month cost for adult immunizations based on the total number of adult covered lives reported by health insurers.

  (h) If federal purchase requirements do not further the goal of ensuring universal access to immunizations for all, the Commissioner may, following consultation with the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee, discontinue the program with six months’ advance notice to all health care professionals and to all health insurers with Vermont covered lives.

  (i) The Department may adopt rules under 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 to implement this section. (Added 2005, No. 191 (Adj. Sess.), § 23; amended 2007, No. 70, § 29; 2009, No. 61, § 42; 2009, No. 156 (Adj. Sess.), § I.20; 2011, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2011, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § C.200, eff. May 17, 2012; 2013, No. 79, § 17, eff. Jan. 1, 2014; 2013, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § E.312.1; 2025, No. 76 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Mar. 24, 2026; 2025, No. 76 (Adj. Sess.), § 8, eff. July 1, 2031.)