Do the ACIP recommendations have any direct legal effect?
The ACIP recommendations cause federal funds to be made available to buy vaccines under the Vaccines For Children program. Most states periodically revise their compulsory vaccination laws in order to synchronize them with the ACIP. A recent JAMA editorial suggests that the ACIP endorse as many vaccines as possible in order to maximize the federal subsidies, but that the states apply stricter standards and not mandate so many vaccines.
