By Fin Gomez and Kathryn Watson | 19 August 2021
CBS NEWS — President Biden announced Wednesday he is ordering the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require nursing homes to have vaccinated staff for them to be able to participate in Medicare and Medicaid and receive funding from the federal programs.
The vaccination requirement will be the first time the federal government has implemented any type of vaccination requirement besides those for federal government employees.
“More than 130,000 residents in nursing homes have, sadly, over the period of this virus, passed away. At the same time, vaccination rates among nursing home staff significantly trail the rest of the country,” the president said from the White House. “The studies show that a highly vaccinated nursing home staff is associated with at least 30% 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 health care costs, to ensure we reduce those risks to our most vulnerable seniors.” […]
How can the unvaccinated people start an “underground economy” of businesses to serve their group? This network will be particularly important through 2030, if you get my drift.