Overview

• Executive Order 2025-04 creates a Statewide Vaccine Access Initiative and directs the health department to set Illinois vaccine recommendations independent of shifting federal guidance.
• IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra is instructed to issue a standing order authorizing eligible pharmacies and providers to administer vaccines recommended by IDPH after consultation with the Immunization Advisory Committee.
• The order tells the Department of Insurance to require state-regulated health plans to cover vaccines and administration based on IDPH recommendations without patient cost-sharing to the maximum extent permitted by law.
• State officials cite federal disruptions — including CDC leadership changes, replacement of ACIP members, and narrowed FDA authorization — as reasons for acting to protect access.
• The plan includes plain-language public guidance, support for school-based clinics, coordination with local and community providers, and contingency steps for the Vaccines for Children program, while insurer responses outside state regulation remain uncertain.