The White House announced Aug. 18 a requirement mandating all nursing home workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for receiving federal funds.
President Joe Biden is directing HHS to develop the regulations for long-term care workers who serve people enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
"Vaccination rates among nursing home staff significantly trail the rest of the country," President Biden said during an Aug. 18 news briefing. "The studies show that highly vaccinated nursing home staffs is associated with at least 30 percent less COVID-19 cases among long-term care residents. With this announcement, I’m using the power of the federal government, as a payer of healthcare costs, to ensure we reduce those risks to our most vulnerable seniors."
The new rules would apply to more than 15,000 nursing homes and about 1.3 million workers, reports The Washington Post.