Oz Urges Measles Vaccination as Trump Administration Alters Childhood Vaccine Schedule
CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz urged Americans to get the measles vaccine as cases rise, saying Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover it and defending the Trump administration’s and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s role in promoting measles vaccination. His comments come after the administration last month overhauled federal childhood vaccine recommendations at President Trump’s request, while experts including Scott Gottlieb warn that falling MMR coverage among 5–17‑year‑olds and COVID‑era backlash are likely to drive a longer, larger cycle of outbreaks and have prompted some states to form alliances countering the new federal guidance.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- On Feb. 8, 2026 CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz urged Americans in a CNN interview to get the measles vaccine and said Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover it as part of the core immunization schedule, with no barrier to access through those programs.
- Oz defended President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying the administration has 'advocated for measles vaccines all along' and that Kennedy has been 'on the very front'—a claim made despite critics noting RFK Jr.'s long history of vaccine skepticism.
- On Face the Nation (Feb. 8, 2026) Gottlieb said current measles spread is concentrated among 5- to 17-year-olds and tied it to falling childhood MMR coverage that will continue to affect cohorts as they reach school age.
- Gottlieb forecasted that this year’s measles cases will climb well beyond the roughly 750 infections already reported and last year’s ~2,000 cases, describing the situation as the start of a 'long cycle' of outbreaks.
- Gottlieb linked rising vaccine hesitancy and erosion of public trust to COVID-era mandates, arguing that people who felt 'compelled' to vaccinate are now pushing back, which he expects will keep weakening childhood uptake unless policy and communication change.
- Last month the administration dropped some federal vaccine recommendations for children at President Trump’s request, overhauling the traditional schedule; some states are forming their own alliances to counter the new federal guidance.
đź“° Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 08, 2026
9:05 PM
Dr. Mehmet Oz urges public to take the measles vaccine as U.S. cases rise
New information:
- CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz used a Feb. 8, 2026 CNN interview to urge Americans to 'take the vaccine' for measles, calling measles something people 'should get your vaccine' for.
- Oz confirmed that Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the measles vaccine as part of the core immunization schedule and said there will 'never be a barrier' to access through those programs.
- Oz defended President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claiming the administration has 'advocated for measles vaccines all along' and that Kennedy has been 'on the very front of this,' even as critics cite RFK Jr.’s long history of vaccine skepticism.
- The article notes the administration last month dropped some federal vaccine recommendations for children at Trump’s request, overhauling the traditional schedule, and that some states are forming their own alliances to counter the new federal guidance.
6:53 PM
Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Feb. 8, 2026
New information:
- On Face the Nation, Gottlieb reiterated that current measles spread is concentrated among 5‑ to 17‑year‑olds and tied it to falling childhood MMR coverage that will play out as cohorts hit school age.
- He explicitly forecast that this year’s measles cases will climb well beyond the roughly 750 infections already reported and last year’s 2,000 cases, describing the situation as the start of a 'long cycle' of outbreaks.
- Gottlieb linked vaccine hesitancy and erosion in trust directly to COVID‑era mandates, arguing that people who felt 'compelled' to vaccinate are now pushing back, which he expects to keep weakening childhood uptake unless policy and communication change.