Biden asks Supreme Court to revive health worker vaccine mandate
By John Kruzel - 12/16/21 06:17 PM EST
The Biden administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to reinstate a vaccine mandate for health workers at hospitals that receive federal funding after lower courts blocked the order in roughly half of the country.
The Department of Health and Human Services-issued vaccine mandate, which applies to most workers at health care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds, has been beset by numerous lawsuits since its rollout last month.
Rulings by federal judges in Missouri and Louisiana have effectively halted the public health measure in 24 states in recent weeks as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 800,000.
The administration’s Thursday request to the Supreme Court, filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), would lift, or "stay," those court orders while the cases proceed.
“The exceptionally urgent need to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure for Medicare and Medicaid patients given the anticipated winter surge in infections tips the equities overwhelmingly in favor of a stay,” the DOJ brief reads.
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https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/586230-biden-asks-supreme-court-to-revive-health-worker-vaccine-mandate
