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POLITICO: First in RXP: Vaccine Injury Bills Introduced

August 4, 2023

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) is expected to unveil two bipartisan bills today to revamp the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, including shifting Covid-19 vaccines under the program’s purview.

One measure, which mirrors legislation Doggett championed last Congress and is co-sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), would expedite the amount of time the HHS secretary has to add a vaccine to the program’s injury table to six months from two years while ensuring the table covers shots routinely recommended by the CDC for adults. The bill would also require a minimum of 10 special masters to be appointed to the court that hears vaccine injury claims, up from the current maximum of eight.

The bill would transfer pending Covid-related claims from the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program, designed for treatments created or used during public health emergencies, to the VICP. Such a move would trump the Biden administration’s May decision to leave Covid-related injury claims under the countermeasures program through the end of 2024. Both programs have struggled to meet their mandates in recent years, and advocates fear the VICP, absent congressional reform, could collapse once Covid vaccines fall under it.

“I believe that those who suffer rare injuries associated with vaccines, including those to fight Covid-19, should receive prompt, reasonable compensation for medical bills and other losses,” Doggett said in a statement shared first with POLITICO. “By assuring a prompt and fair response to any related injury, we build confidence in vaccines and reduce hesitancy.”

The second bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), would impose the 75-cent excise tax that funds the VICP on any new shots added to the injury table, eliminating the need for Congress to act separately.

Issues:Healthcare