Posted on 08/19/2021 5:03:57 AM PDT by gattaca
The Biden administration will tell U.S. nursing homes they must require staffers be vaccinated for COVID-19 to continue to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding, according to news reports
President Biden is set to officially announced the change Wednesday afternoon, according to CNN, which learning of the matter from administration officials.
Biden will direct the Department of Health and Human Services to draft new regulations making vaccinations for nursing home employee a condition for such facilities to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the officials said.
The move represents a significant escalation in Biden’s campaign to get Americans vaccinated and the tools he is willing to use, marking the first time he has threatened to withhold federal funds in order to get people vaccinated.
Nursing home residents, largely the elderly with pre-existing medical conditions, were among the hardest hit in the early stages of the pandemic. Such facilities being largely confined space without enhanced ventilation contributed to high case rates. The virus's highly contagious delta variant threatens to create a similar situation with high hospitalization and death rates.
"As we see the spread of Delta and the threat of Covid cases, it is really especially important that we ensure that those caring for our most vulnerable are vaccinated,” Carole Johnson, a senior official on the White House’s Covid-19 response team, told CNN in an interview.
In the seven states in which less than half of nursing home staff is vaccinated, weekly cases were 7.9 times higher in the week ending August 1 than they were in the week ending June 27. Meanwhile, in states that have vaccinated a larger share of staff than average, cases reported in the week ending August 1 were three times higher than cases reported in the last week of June, the new outlet also reports.
The new regulations could go into effect as early as next month. However, Johnson told CNN the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will work with nursing homes, employees and their unions to ramp up staff vaccinations before the regulations go into effect.
There is just no end to how evil this man is.
Federal entanglement brings federal control.
What next? Withholding Social Security checks?
Under single payer, you would be given no choice.
It’s not BiteMe.
BiteMe is just Deep State’s messenger.
Unless you have an unaffiliated, independent doc, for all intents and purposes you already have single payer.
You know that’s coming.
They will lose staff. And that will be the next crisis that needs to be “fixed”.
This is extortion and the government has no say in private company personnel.
Lawsuits will start flying.
At this point, I don’t think he has any ideas what is coming out of the Executive Department.
One thing Biden has done right. Do you ant unvaccinated staff taking care of your 85 yo grandmother with dementia?
In my town the nursing home is under staffed and can’t pay the $17.00 per hour that other places offer.
This will do MAJOR damage.
A forced program that I contributed to for decades is now used as a cudgel.
Mad King Joe really sucks.
If they represent a special case because of elder people’s vulnerability, what excuse does Cuomo have about sending covid to nursing homes?
Completely lawless regime: he has no authority to make law regarding Medicare eligibility.
Do you want the nursing home to firea third of its staff, because they refuse the "jab?"
Yes?! Then: Good luck with your grandmother getting adequate care!
Regards,
Welcome to the Biomedical Security State.
Next you will have to have the shot to receive medicare. This is pure unconstitutional tyranny.
The quality of work is going to suffer in those facilities. Some employees will quit before taking that shot.
This will dump more duties onto the remaining employees. Not that Biden gives a damn. He’s no longer even bothering to pretend any empathy.
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