Clinton Weighs Free Vaccine Plan Aimed at Children

The Clinton Administration is considering a plan to ensure that all children are vaccinated by having the federal government and states buy vaccines and distribute them free to clinics and doctors, a newspaper reported.

The New York Times, in today’s editions, said leading pediatricians and child-advocacy groups support the plan, but drug companies strongly oppose it, saying it will make the manufacture of vaccines unprofitable and may force them to cut spending for research to develop new, more effective vaccines.

The Clinton Administration says the plan will mean nearly universal immunization because the cost of vaccines would no longer be a factor, the newspaper said.

About half of employer health insurance plans do not cover childhood vaccines, the paper said. It said only 40% to 60% of preschool children get the recommended shots--and only about 10% in inner cities.

The newspaper said the program would cost $300 million to $500 million more than the $175 million the federal government now spends on childhood vaccines. It said the Administration had not decided where that money would come from.