A 6166 New Jersey General Assembly · 2024-2025 Regular Session

Revises certain references to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in statutory and regulatory law; Requires health benefits coverage for certain immunizations recommended by DOH.*

Bill A6166 revises New Jersey law to update references from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to the New Jersey Department of Health in three specific statutes. This technical correction aligns statutory language with current practice, ensuring state immunization policies cite the New Jersey Department of Health instead of the federal committee. The bill does not alter existing requirements for student meningococcal immunizations, childhood vaccination recommendations, or healthcare facility influenza programs. It simply modernizes legal references without changing policy or creating new obligations.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics: Public Health

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 4, 2025 Last action Jan 12, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Assembly Committee Substitute AHE 1/5/26 ACS · 3 edits

MINOR

The Assembly Health Committee substitute substantially expands the bill's scope beyond its original purpose of updating references to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The key policy change shifts the source of immunization recommendations that insurers must cover from the federal CDC's ACIP directly to New Jersey's Department of Health, which must consider but is not bound by CDC/ACIP recommendations and may also weigh input from the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and American College of Physicians. This change applies across all major insurance product types in the state (hospital service corporations, health service corporations, medical service corporations, individual and group insurer policies, individual health benefits plans, and small employer plans).

SCOPE

The bill's title and synopsis were expanded to include 'insurance and State Medicaid coverage for immunizations' in addition to the original ACIP reference revisions, indicating new substantive requirements beyond mere citation updates.

REQUIREMENT

Across all amended insurance statutes, the entity whose immunization recommendations trigger mandatory coverage changed from the federal CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to New Jersey's Department of Health. The DOH must consider CDC/ACIP recommendations plus those of four professional medical organizations, but retains discretion in its own recommendations.

DEFINITION

The old language referenced 'Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Public Health Service and the' (CDC) as the direct source. The new language makes the Department of Health the authoritative source, with CDC/ACIP and other professional bodies serving as advisory inputs rather than the controlling standard.

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Committee

Dec 4, 2025

General Assembly · Introduced

Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly Health Committee

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors