History of the Washington Vaccine Association and Washington’s Universal Childhood Vaccine Program
Washington State has long been a national leader in providing broad access to childhood immunizations.
Its universal Childhood Vaccine Program (CVP) dates back to 1990, when the state established a system
to purchase vaccines in bulk and supply them at no cost to providers for all children under 19. This
approach enabled Washington to eliminate financial and logistical barriers to vaccination, promote
consistent immunization practices, and streamline vaccine inventory management across healthcare
settings.
For nearly two decades, the universal program was funded through a mix of federal Vaccines for Children
(VFC) dollars and state funds. However, the 2009 state budget deficit threatened the continuation of
universal vaccine access for privately insured children when Washington eliminated state funding for those
children effective May 1, 2010. In response, a collaboration of state legislators, public health leaders,
physicians, and insurers developed a sustainable financing reform. Their efforts resulted in House Bill
2551, signed into law on March 23, 2010, which preserved the universal program by shifting funding
responsibilities to commercial health plans and other payers.
The legislation created a new independent nonprofit entity—the Washington Vaccine Association (WVA)- to
administer this funding model. The WVA is responsible for calculating, collecting, and transferring vaccine
assessments from commercial insurers and third-party administrators to the Washington State Department
of Health (DOH). These funds support the state’s ongoing purchase of all recommended pediatric vaccines
at discounted federal contract rates.
Today, the WVA plays a critical role in sustaining Washington’s universal vaccine purchasing system. The
organization ensures that providers receive state-supplied vaccines at no cost, enabling them to administer
immunizations to all children—regardless of insurance type—without absorbing upfront vaccine costs or
maintaining separate public and private inventories. This unified system simplifies provider workflows,
reduces financial risk, promotes use of the state’s Immunization Information System (IIS), and strengthens
statewide vaccine monitoring and quality improvement efforts.
By collecting dosage-based assessments associated with vaccines administered to commercially insured
children, the WVA maintains a stable and equitable funding pathway for childhood immunizations. As a
result, Washington continues to purchase vaccines at volume-based federal pricing and distribute them to
healthcare providers statewide, ensuring broad access and supporting consistently high immunization
coverage rates.
More than a decade and a half after its creation, the WVA remains integral to the functioning of
Washington’s universal childhood vaccine program. By coordinating financing between public health
agencies and private payers, it upholds a model of efficient, equitable vaccine access that minimizes cost
barriers for families and promotes long-term public health outcomes for children throughout the state.