Washington, D.C. — News reports indicate that the Biden administration will unveil several new steps to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including requiring health care workers at hospitals and other entities participating in the Medicare or Medicaid programs to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In response, Emily Gee, senior economist for Health Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
We are glad to see the Biden administration adopt our recommendation that health care providers receiving funding from federal Medicare or Medicaid programs have staff vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of participation in those federal programs. This decisive move will ensure that patients can safely receive care and reduce front-line health care workers’ exposure to the virus. Applying a vaccination requirement to workers across the health care sector also levels the playing field by ensuring that facilities that have already chosen to do the right thing for patient safety are not disadvantaged in the labor market.
Reports also suggest that the president will announce that he is requiring federal workers and those working for large private employers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as additional steps his administration is taking to support school districts in standing up robust testing protocols and vaccine requirements. These steps are critical to reduce the threat of the virus, support our students and teachers, and continue the record-setting economic recovery we have realized this year.
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