CMS sets March 15 deadline for healthcare workers to get vaccinated
This applies in the 24 states where the vaccine mandate was reinstated by last week's Supreme Court's decision.
Photo: Courtney Hale/Getty Images
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has set a deadline of March 15 for healthcare workers to get vaccinated.
This applies to healthcare facilities that accept Medicare and Medicaid in the 24 states subject to Thursday's Supreme Court ruling. The decision upholds the CMS mandate, at least temporarily, as the requirement is challenged on appeal. CMS released the guidance the day after the Supreme Court decision.
Other states have until Feb. 28 to ensure healthcare workers have been fully vaccinated. In these states, the vaccine mandate was not blocked.
The mandate remains blocked in Texas as that state had brought its own lawsuit separate from the cases brought before the Supreme Court.
The CMS guidance applies to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The Supreme Court did not uphold a vaccine or weekly testing requirement released by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that pertains to companies with 100 workers or more.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The justices did not determine whether the mandates are legal but whether they stand while legal challenges make their way through the appeals process.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear both cases eventually.
THE LARGER TREND
On Nov. 5, 2021, CMS published an interim final rule with comment period requiring COVID-19 vaccine immunization of healthcare staff.
ON THE RECORD
"CMS' vaccine rule will cover 10.4 million healthcare workers at 76,000 medical facilities. Giving patients assurance on the safety of their care is a critical responsibility of CMS and a key to combatting the pandemic," said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.
"CMS is disappointed in the decision on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard, and agrees with President Biden and Secretary (Martin) Walsh: This is a major setback for the health and safety of workers across the country," Brooks-LaSure said.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com
