--- title: HB 218. Health; lower the age from 50 to 18 years old at which hospitals shall offer inpatient vaccinations for the influenza virus prior to discharge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb218 cite_as: HB 218, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb218 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb218.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb218/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69764 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb217.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb219.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 235 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb218.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 218 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-03 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Katie Dempsey - Lee Hawkins - Sharon Cooper - Karla Drenner - Darlene Taylor text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB218/2025 upstream_id: 1953040 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - hospital vaccinations - flu vaccine policy - public health law - patient discharge requirements --- # HB 218. Health; lower the age from 50 to 18 years old at which hospitals shall offer inpatient vaccinations for the influenza virus prior to discharge ## Text 25 LC 46 1009 House Bill 218 By: Representatives Dempsey of the 13th, Hawkins of the 27th, Cooper of the 45th, Drenner of the 85th, and Taylor of the 173rd A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 31-7-18 of the Official Code of Georgia A nnotated, relating to1 vaccinations for influenza and pneumococcal disease for certain discharged patients,2 vaccinations or other measures for health care workers and othe r employees in hospitals,3 immunity from liability, and standing orders, so as to lower the age from 50 to 18 years old4 at which hospitals shall offer inpatient vaccinations for the influenza virus prior to discharge;5 to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 SECTION 1.8 Code Section 31-7-18 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to vaccinations for9 influenza and pneumococcal disease for certain discharged patie nts, vaccinations or other10 measures for health care workers and other employees in hospitals, immunity from liability,11 and standing orders, is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows:12 "(a) Prior to discharging any inpatient who is 50 18 years of age or older, a hospital shall13 offer the inpatient a vaccination for the influenza virus. Prior to discharging any inpatient14 who is 65 years of age or older, a hospital shall offer the inp atient a vaccination for15 pneumococcal disease. Such vaccinations shall be provided in a ccordance with the16 H. B. 218 - 1 - 25 LC 46 1009 recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and any17 applicable rules and regulations of the department, unless contraindicated, and contingent18 on availability of such vaccine. A hospital may offer other patients such vaccinations in19 accordance with the recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and20 Prevention and any applicable rules and regulations of the department. The vaccinations21 may be administered pursuant to a standing order that has been approved by the hospital's22 medical staff."23 SECTION 2.24 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.25 H. B. 218 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. House Bill 218 would lower the age at which Georgia hospitals must offer flu vaccinations to patients before discharge, from 50 years old to 18 years old. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law currently requires hospitals to offer a flu vaccine to inpatients age 50 or older before they are discharged, and a pneumococcal disease vaccine to inpatients 65 or older. This bill changes only the flu vaccine age threshold, lowering it from 50 to 18, so that any adult inpatient, not just those 50 and up, would have to be offered the flu shot before leaving the hospital. The pneumococcal vaccine age requirement (65 and older) stays the same. Vaccinations would still follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and Georgia Department of Public Health rules, and only when the vaccine is not medically contraindicated and is actually available. Hospitals could still use standing orders approved by their medical staff to administer the shots without a separate doctor's order each time. ### What it does - Lowers the minimum age at which Georgia hospitals must offer inpatients a flu vaccine before discharge, from 50 years old to 18 years old. - Leaves the pneumococcal disease vaccine requirement unchanged, still applying only to inpatients 65 years of age or older. - Keeps the existing conditions that vaccines follow CDC recommendations and state health department rules, unless contraindicated and subject to vaccine availability. - Keeps intact the existing option for hospitals to use a standing order approved by hospital medical staff to administer the vaccinations. ### Who it affects Georgia hospitals and their medical staff, who must offer the flu vaccine to a larger group of discharged patients, and adult inpatients between 18 and 49 years old, who would now be routinely offered a flu shot before leaving the hospital. ### Why it matters Many more adult patients, not just those 50 and older, would routinely be offered a flu vaccine before leaving the hospital, potentially increasing flu vaccination rates among younger adults while adding a small administrative step for hospital discharge procedures. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. ยง 31-7-18(a) to change the flu vaccine offer requirement from inpatients 50 or older to inpatients 18 or older. - Section 1 keeps the pneumococcal vaccine offer requirement at age 65 or older, unchanged from current law. - Section 1 retains the requirement that vaccinations follow CDC recommendations and Department of Public Health rules, unless contraindicated and subject to availability. - Section 1 retains the provision allowing vaccinations to be given under a standing order approved by the hospital's medical staff. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-03) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Katie Dempsey, Lee Hawkins, Sharon Cooper, Karla Drenner, Darlene Taylor - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69764 > The history, votes, and amendments (235 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb218.md?full=1