Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nursing Homes Told To Vaccinate Staff — Or Lose Medicare, Medicaid Funds
Roll Call: Biden Ties Federal Funds To Nursing Home Vaccine Mandates
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that nursing homes must require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to release an emergency rule in September affecting 1.3 million staffers in roughly 15,000 nursing homes. Federal data shows that around 60 percent of nursing home staff are currently vaccinated, although that falls as low as 44 percent in some states. (Clason, 8/18)
CNBC: Covid Vaccine: U.S. To Require Nursing Homes Staff Get Shots Or Lose Federal Funding
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his administration will require all employees in nursing homes to get vaccinated for Covid-19, the latest effort to protect Americans as the delta variant spreads. “Today I’m announcing a new step,” Biden said in a speech at the White House. “If you work in a nursing home and serve people on Medicare or Medicaid, you will also be required to get vaccinated.” (Lovelace Jr., 8/18)
AP: Biden To Require COVID Vaccines For Nursing Home Staff
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that his administration will require that nursing home staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden unveiled the new policy Wednesday afternoon in a White House address as the administration continues to look for ways to use mandates to encourage vaccine holdouts to get shots. “If you visit, live or work in a nursing home, you should not be at a high risk for contracting COVID from unvaccinated employees,” Biden said. (Miller, 8/19)
Modern Healthcare: Biden To Require Nursing Home Staff Get COVID-19 Vaccine
The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled plans requiring nursing home staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but that directive is already sparking worry in the industry. The federal government tied nursing home facilities' Medicare and Medicaid funding to staff vaccinations, which the White House said will "ensure consistent and equitable standards across the country." California, New York, New Mexico and Maryland have already mandated healthcare staff be vaccinated. But the requirement could worsen an already precarious workforce crisis and affect facilities' ability to care for residents. (Christ, 8/18)
And reaction to the announcement —
Indianapolis Star: Biden's Nursing Home Vaccine Order Will Cause Workers To 'Flee,' Indiana Group Says
President Joe Biden’s call for nursing homes to require COVID-19 vaccines for employees will add to staffing problems, Indiana's largest association of nursing homes said Wednesday. The Indiana Health Care Association and Indiana Center for Assisted Living, which represent 460 assisted living providers in the state, say Biden's latest COVID-19 mandate will cause some nursing home workers to leave and go to health care facilities that do not require vaccines. The groups said the directive should apply to health care workers in every setting. (Nelson, 8/18)
Georgia Recorder: Biden Vaccine Mandate For Senior Homes Prompts Warnings Of 'Dire' Georgia Nurse Shortage
East Cobb Republican state Rep. Sharon Cooper, a nurse who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said she appreciates the Biden administration’s goal of protecting seniors. But she worries about unintended consequences. “The nursing homes are desperate to find people to take care of our seniors in these facilities,” she said. “There is a huge shortage of certified nursing assistants and (licensed practical nurses). They’re having to supplement and hire part-time people to help, and that’s even just barely covering it. “So if they require it and all of a sudden we have a huge number of nursing staff that quits, there isn’t going to be anybody to take care of the people in the nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It’s that dire.” (Williams and Olson, 8/19)
The Morning Call: With Federal Government Mandating Vaccine For Nursing Home Staff, Northampton County Will End Bonus Incentivizing Shots
With President Joe Biden on Wednesday announcing that his administration will require that nursing home staff be vaccinated against COVID-19, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said employees have a limited window to get a $750 bonus for taking the shots. ... With the federal mandate, McClure said he would move to take away the bonus incentive in the near future. “Are you taking notes?” McClure asked a Morning Call reporter Wednesday. “Because if I were a Gracedale employee, I would go get jabbed and make 750 bucks.” (Shortell, 8/18)
Also —
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland To Require Hospital, Nursing Home Staff To Get COVID Vaccine
People who work in Maryland’s hospitals and nursing homes will be required to get the coronavirus vaccine or submit to regular testing, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday. Workers at hospitals and nursing homes must get their first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 1, Hogan said. The mandate applies to not only health care workers, but everyone who works in those facilities, including administrative staff. (Wood and Miller, 8/18)
Louisville Courier Journal: Nursing Home Residents First In Line For COVID-19 Boosters In Kentucky
Kentuckians vaccinated for COVID-19 could soon be eligible for a booster shot, starting in September, with approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That group of more than 2 million people would join more than 27,000 nursing home and senior living residents already eligible for a booster shot in Kentucky because they are considered to have low immunity. (Yetter, 8/18)
Georgia Health News: Hospitals Uniting In COVID Crisis Message; Nursing Homes Face Vaccination Pressure
Metro Atlanta hospital systems are uniting to deliver a public message about the increasingly grim picture on the COVID front lines. Representatives from the Wellstar, Piedmont, Emory and Grady systems – often competitors in non-pandemic times – along with those from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System, will address the media Thursday morning on the crisis surrounding the latest surge. (Miller, 8/18)
