Plain-English summary
Court stays injunctions blocking HHS vaccine rule for Medicare and Medicaid health-care workers
The Supreme Court granted emergency relief allowing the HHS rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination for staff at Medicare- and Medicaid-certified health facilities to go into effect nationwide. The Court stayed lower-court injunctions that had blocked the rule while litigation continues. The decision was issued per curiam on January 13, 2022.
Why this matters
The ruling lets the federal vaccination condition on Medicare and Medicaid funding operate while courts decide the underlying legal challenges. That affects the vaccination status and workplace rules for millions of health-care workers and the operations of thousands of health-care facilities that receive federal payment for patient care.
Who may feel it
- Health-care workers at facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid payments
- Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and other Medicare/Medicaid-certified facilities
- Patients who receive care at those facilities
- State governments that challenged the rule
- Federal agencies implementing public-health requirements
Key questions
- Does HHS (through CMS) have authority to require COVID-19 vaccination for staff at facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid?