The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill calling for an end to mandatory vaccinations for employees at some health care facilities. It marks the first pandemic-related bill since Republicans took control of the House.
Titled The Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, the law passed by a vote of 227 to 203, with seven Democrats joining Republicans in passing the bill.
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R. Medicaid Certified Facility.
Under the rule, health care workers at Medicare- and Medicaid-accredited facilities must receive at least the first dose in a primary coronavirus vaccination series to provide care, treatment, or services. His more than 10 million healthcare industry workers across nearly 76,000 facilities are subject to vaccine requirements.
With Democrats retaining control of the Senate and President Biden likely to reject the bill if it reaches his desk, Tuesday’s vote is a symbol to record Republican opposition to the administration’s COVID policies. It was a gesture.
The emergency standards were first issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2021 and went into effect early last year to minimize the risk of spreading coronavirus among healthcare workers and patients. The regulation has been hotly contested in court, and last year the Supreme Court finally ruled that while upholding requirements set for health care workers, it overturned similar requirements proposed for large employers. I went down.
Employees, including doctors, technicians and nurses, may be dismissed if they do not comply with their duties, although some exceptions for religious and medical reasons are included in the requirements. Violations may result in termination of Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Implementation of vaccine requirements set by the Biden administration received support from medical groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association.
These rules were issued in response to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), but are not contingent on the PHE remaining in effect. The White House announced Monday that PHE is due to end on his May 11th.
As OSHA noted in 2021, Medicare interim final rules, such as vaccine requirements, expire three years after issuance unless finalized.
“This is no exception. This requirement is scheduled to expire in November 2024 if CMS does not take further action,” a spokesperson for the Center or Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) told The Hill. said in a statement.
House Democrats were quick to denounce the bill during debates on the floor.
“Healthcare Workers Freedom Act. Really? Freedom from what?” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said on the floor. “With the COVID-19 vaccine, heroic nurses and health workers were able to save lives and protect the most vulnerable, including the elderly. But it’s not over. People are still sick become and die.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (California Democrat) denounced the proposed bill as “cruel” and an “attack on public health.”
“Why endanger vulnerable populations? This is cruel and unreasonable,” Garcia said.
Republican Rep. Larry Buchon of Indiana supported Duncan’s bill, adding that he supports vaccination of health care workers.
“I don’t think CMS should mandate it nationwide,” said Bucshon.
Contributed by Michael Schnell.
— 17:30 update
