Incentives Are Gone

Thank you, Robby Starbuck, for bringing attention to this update.

Government bureaucracies should never coerce doctors or families into accepting vaccines or penalize physicians for respecting patient choice. That practice ends now.

Under the Trump administration, HHS will protect informed consent, respect religious liberty, and uphold medical freedom.

Thank you Dr. Oz + Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for your leadership on this issue.

Secretary Kennedy

Big change announcement for 2026: Doctors will no longer be financially punished if patients decline vaccines, including for religious reasons.@SecKennedy + @CMSGov’s new directive says Medicaid & CHIP payments will no longer be tied to prenatal and childhood vaccine numbers.…

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 31, 2025

… In the past, some providers avoided patients with religious objections to vaccines because it could hurt their ratings and payments. That perverse incentive is now gone.

@CMSGov is also signaling a shift in how it rates “quality of care” to include:

• Informing families about vaccine choices
• Explaining vaccine safety and side effects
• Discussing alternative vaccination schedules

Bottom line: Less coercion, more informed consent and more respect for religious liberty & families’ choices.