Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
21 GOP Attorneys General Pressure Biden To Halt Vaccination Mandate
AP: Republican Attorneys General Criticize Biden Vaccine Order
Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday saying they think his COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal contractors “stands on shaky legal ground,” is confusing to contractors and could exacerbate supply-chain problems. They wrote that companies could be blacklisted for federal contracts unless they get their workers vaccinated on “an unworkable timeline.” (Pettus, 10/27)
The Washington Post: White House Suggests Flexibility In Vaccine Mandate For Federal Employees, Contractors
The White House coronavirus response coordinator, Jeff Zients, indicated that the Biden administration could be flexible as it enforces the president’s executive order requiring federal workers and government contractors to vaccinate their workers. The vaccine mandate aims to protect as many people from the coronavirus as possible — not to punish them by getting them fired from their jobs should they be unvaccinated by the due dates, Zients said Wednesday. (Jeong and Suliman, 10/28)
In other news about vaccine mandates —
Salt Lake Tribune: Intermountain Healthcare Will Require Its Caregivers To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Intermountain Healthcare has announced it will require “all of its caregivers” to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to comply with pending federal rules. Federal officials are moving forward on vaccine requirements for large employers — and previously have said government insurers like Medicare and Medicaid will only cover services from health care providers whose employees all are vaccinated. That would eliminate coverage for about four in every 10 of Intermountain’s patients, if the network did not require vaccines, said Dr. Mark Briesacher, chief physician executive for Intermountain. (Alberty and Pierce, 10/27)
AP: Bill Would Remove 'Conscience' As Basis For Refusing Vaccine
Illinois law has for more than four decades protected those who oppose providing or receiving medical treatment because of their religious beliefs. Now Democrats want an exception to allow repercussions for those who refuse vaccinations in the battle against COVID-19. Long considered a shield for physicians whose religious beliefs precluded their performing abortions, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act has become a pandemic lightning rod. Lawsuits invoking it are challenging employers trying to enforce rules requiring testing for or inoculation against the coronavirus. (O'Connor, 10/28)
CNBC: Covid Vaccine: Some 5% Of Unvaccinated Adults Have Quit Their Jobs Over A Mandate, Survey Shows
Five percent of unvaccinated adults say they have left a job due to a vaccine mandate, according to a survey released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. This early read on whether workers will actually quit their jobs over mandates comes as more employers are requiring shots. One-quarter of workers surveyed by KFF in October said their employer has required them to get vaccinated, up from 9% in June and 19% last month. (Rattner, 10/28)
In news about mask mandates —
New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Orleans To Lift Mask Mandate, Tweak COVID Vaccine Rules Ahead Of Halloween
Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Wednesday loosened New Orleans's COVID-19 restrictions, ending the city's requirement that residents and visitors wear masks in public spaces and tweaking the city's vaccine mandate to allow a wider variety of negative coronavirus tests as an alternative to getting a shot. The new rules, which take effect Friday and will be in place for Halloween, follow the decision by Gov. John Bel Edwards earlier this week to end the statewide mask mandate. They also come amid a sharp decline in coronavirus cases in the city that has made city officials more willing to relax what have stood as the most stringent rules on vaccines and masks in Louisiana. (Myers, 10/27)
AP: Flouting White House, Florida Penalizes School Districts
The state of Florida has withheld funding from two school districts over their coronavirus mask mandates, flouting threats from White House officials who warned that such penalties would violate federal law. School officials in Alachua and Broward counties on Wednesday said the state docked school board salaries and overall funding in amounts equal to federal aid packages meant to blunt the state’s sanctions on mask requirements. This month, more than $164,000 was withheld from the Alachua school district and more than $455,000 was withheld from Broward. (Izaguirre, 10/27)
AP: Judge: Colorado Parents Can't Exempt Kids From School Masks
A federal judge has issued a restraining order against a suburban Denver county’s policy allowing parents to opt their children out of a mask mandate at school, finding that the rule violates the rights of students with disabilities who are vulnerable to COVID-19.U.S. District Judge John L. Kane on Tuesday called the Douglas County Board of Health order that allowed parents to opt their children out of mask-wearing a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which guarantees equal access to education for all. (10/27)
