A two-day meeting of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, with new members appointed by RFK Jr., could reshape public trust in childhood vaccines and reduce access.

Susan Monarez, the former CDC director, said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told her changes to the childhood vaccine schedule were coming in September.

"I have many that won't speak about vaccines now and have removed their names off of papers," said former CDC chief medical officer Debra Houry.

Insurers suggested they would still cover routine shots even if a C.D.C. panel tried to limit them, as an influential senator warned against new restrictions.

Since the hepatitis B vaccine was recommended for all babies at birth in 1991, new cases in the United States have declined significantly, especially among young people. The people at highest risk for contracting hepatitis B include health care workers, IV drug users and people having sex.

The council voted to allow pharmacies to administer vaccine shots without prescriptions for residents 65 and older and other adults with risk factors.

Susan Monarez, the ousted former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, plans to warn a Senate committee Wednesday that if a vaccine panel proceeds with a meeting scheduled for this week, there's a "real risk" vaccines for children could be limited, according to testimony obtained by CBS News.

A showdown over vaccine exemptions between the state’s Republican governor and school board could be settled by two competing lawsuits.