Only Licensed Doctors Should Grant Vaccine Waivers, Group Says

Only licensed physicians should grant medical exemptions from mandatory Covid-19 vaccines, the American Medical Association’s policy-making body said Tuesday.

The resolution, approved by the AMA House of Delegates at a meeting in Chicago, comes as growing numbers of people seek exemptions to state and municipal vaccination mandates, claiming medical reasons.

“Failing to get vaccinated has resulted in tragic and unnecessary deaths,” Willie Underwood III, a member of the AMA’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “To protect everyone, we must be sure that a trained, licensed physician is making the judgment on whether a person actually warrants an exemption.”

The AMA’s new policy position says only licensed physicians should have the medical authority to grant exemptions. Currently, the definition of “medical authority” varies by state, with some allowing alternative practitioners, including “naturopathic providers, to approve vaccine exemptions,” the AMA said in a statement.

“Surveys have shown that naturopathic providers and other alternative medicine providers (such as homeopaths and chiropractors) are less likely to recommend vaccines—or even recommend against vaccines—despite scientific evidence of safety and efficacy,” the AMA statement said.

Underwood added that state policymakers should limit the scope to “physicians who have the training necessary to recognize a medical condition that prevents a patient from receiving a vaccine.”

The new Covid-19 vaccine mandate for health-care workers from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows exemptions for medical reasons if the vaccine could cause harm to the patient. The documentation must include a recommendation by the authenticating practitioner that an exemption be granted.