As Covid-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, the White House announced Wednesday that nursing homes that rely on Medicaid and Medicare funding must require their staff members to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.
The announcement will have a ripple effect through Florida, which has nearly 700 nursing homes. [There are 72 assisted living facilities, nursing homes and congregate care facilities in Flagler County.] Groups that advocate on behalf of seniors had already been sounding the alarm about low vaccination rates among nursing home workers.
The mandate is expected to apply to more than 15,000 nursing homes nationally and is being pushed by the Biden administration as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus has caused a spike in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Regulations will be published in September, according to a “fact sheet” the White House distributed Wednesday.
Tom Parker, director of reimbursement for the Florida Health Care Association, said Florida nursing homes rely heavily on Medicaid and Medicare to pay for resident care.
Parker called Medicaid an “essential” funding source for the state’s nursing homes, saying that on average it makes up about 51 percent of a facility’s funding. Medicaid is jointly funded by the state and federal governments and covers health-care costs of low-income residents, many seniors and people with disabilities.
Parker said Medicare, which is administered solely by the federal government, accounts for an additional 30 percent of revenue for Florida nursing homes. The other 19 percent, Parker said, comes from private insurance, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and people who pay out of pocket.
As a result, the vaccination mandate will have a significant impact in Florida. Not only are providers reliant on the federal funding, Florida nursing homes had the second-lowest percentage of vaccinated workers in the country during a four-week period in June and July, according to an AARP analysis released last week.
Florida nursing homes reported data that showed on average 45.1 percent of workers had been vaccinated during the period from June 20 to July 18. Only Louisiana had lower vaccination rates.
The AARP analysis also showed that only 5.2 percent of the 691 licensed nursing homes in Florida reported that 75 percent or more of their staff had been vaccinated. That was the lowest percentage of nursing homes reporting 75 percent vaccination rates in the nation.
Gov Ron DeSantis has been adamant in his opposition to mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic. DeSantis this month said he didn’t support hospitals requiring staff members to be vaccinated. The governor also has sought to prevent schools from requiring students to wear masks and has battled a cruise line in court over attempts to require passengers to show proof of vaccination.
But as the vaccines became available late last year, DeSantis also focused heavily on vaccinating seniors, including nursing home residents. Covid-19 is particularly dangerous to seniors and people with underlying medical conditions, and outbreaks in nursing homes have led to thousands of deaths.
The governor’s office did not immediately reply to News Service of Florida requests for comment on the Biden administration’s mandate for nursing-home staff vaccinations.
News of the mandate came after the state reported 23,335 new Covid-19 infections and eight additional deaths on Tuesday. Nationally, 141,893 new infections and 822 deaths were reported for the day.
Florida also reported that 17,096 patients with Covid-19 were in hospitals across the state and that they occupied more than 31 percent of inpatient beds.
The Florida Health Care Association, which represents about 560 nursing homes, will review the federal regulations about staff vaccinations when they become available, association spokeswoman Kristen Knapp said in a statement to the News Service.
“In the meantime, we continue to support our members as they work on increasing vaccination rates among staff, as we know the vaccine is one of the safest ways to protect against the virus,” Knapp said.
LeadingAge Florida, another long-term care association, also was waiting Wednesday to see additional details about the mandate. But Nick Van Der Linden, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement to the News Service that the association “has always strongly supported vaccinations for all residents and staff in long-term care settings. Our members have been moving in this direction on their own, and we have seen an increase in the number of providers that now have mandates in place.”
The Biden administration also announced Wednesday it will make booster shots available to the public beginning the week of Sept. 20. The plan is to make the booster shots available so people can receive them eight months after they received second doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
–Christine Sexton, News Service of Florida
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Michael Van Buren says
What about people that can’t get the vaccine based on their doctors orders? Asking for a friend.
FlaglerLive says
The White House Fact Sheet doesn’t detail the particulars but if the orders follows precedent, opt-outs will be included.
Karen Curry says
I guess they’ll have to find employment where the employer doesn’t get any federal funds OR they will have to submit to constant testing & abide by all masking, distancing & sanitary procedures. I don’t know why someone whose health is compromised that much would be in hands on healthcare especially 18 months into a pandemic. How many medical conditions prohibit getting a vaccination, asking for a friend.
Karen Curry says
Michael Van Buren, share this with your curious “friend”.
According to the CDC’s site there are VERY FEW legitimate medical reasons for not getting the vaccine for those over 12.
It’s not recommended for individuals:
found to be allergic to any of it’s components -(1 in 1.3 million)
who have gone into anaphylactic shock after getting a vaccine (very few cases reported);
currently in chemotherapy;
with a history of Bell’s Palsy;
with a history of Guillain Barre Syndrome.
Of course the need for a medical exemption would ultimately be decided by a physician & patient. Such medical exemptions are subject to high scrutiny as we’ve found out with masks the HONOR STSTEM does not work with dishonorable slackers. Employers, administrators & insurers will also be closely examining mask opt out “medical exemptions” for adults as the patient must establish that they have a disability under the law. Specific standards must be met under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
‘Bout time the loop holes were closed permanently. Unscrupulous doctors with mask exemption mills must be prosecuted along with those willing to falsify vaccination cards.
David Schaefer says
Good. And the hell with Deathsantis……..
most afraid says
Yet Flagler Co. Schools has never said they cared enough about the children in their schools to challenge this tyrannical sadist who seems intent on harming teachers, staff and children. All this for votes from the maga cult. Who are clearly in the wrong.
Our school board and superintendent are cowards and should be removed from their positions.
The fact that an entity that calls itself educators would not follow science and medicine but rather bow to ignorance and paranoia, makes me sick. It is sick.
NPA Voter says
I wouldn’t say the entire school board – Conklin and Massaro tried to get the mask mandate approved.
Lou says
People are creative and labels are very descriptive:
MAGA Cult
MAGA Cult Leader (45th)
MAGA Cult FOLLOWERS
Skibum says
Great news… it is way past time to enact vaccine mandates for health care workers who care for our most vulnerable people! The order mandating vaccinations for health care workers should not stop with nursing homes. Health care workers in hospitals as well as home health care workers who travel to see patients in multiple homes throughout the day should also be required to be vaccinated to ensure that they live up to their Hypocratic Oath and “DO NO HARM”. For those health care workers who say their freedom of choice is being infringed upon and that they should have the choice of whether to get vaccinated or not, I say this: they certainly DO have that choice and it should be honored. What they do NOT have, and should never have, is the poor choice to put their patient’s health and potentially their lives at risk by making bad decisions. So if any of them continue to choose not to be vaccinated, so be it. But if they make that choice, they need to remember that their choices have consequences, and the consequence of being obstinate and refusing to get vaccinated in order to take care of vulnerable, sick/ill/injured patients will require that health care worker to lose the ability to take care of patients, PERIOD!
Concerned Citizen says
For those wasting time hating on folks who don’t get vaccinated.
Remember that a good many of these had to work thru the initial pandemic with no shots available. I was one of them. And it took forever for me to get mine. Some had to wait to be eligible. And some folks may have underlying conditions that are quite frankly none of our business.
I’m absolutely sick and tired of all the hating going on out there. Whether it’s masks or shots. It serves zero purpose. And it’s no different than hating someone based on race or gender.
Let’s learn to be nice to one another again. Kindness is free.
REALIST says
And exactlt what do they think will happen when they push this federal mandate through to an already very shorthanded base of nursing home healthcare workers and even more of the force quits due to this mandate…….They are BARELY getting by with a skeleton crew now.I guess we shall see
Karen Curry says
Just like in any field, they get the shot or find another job. The difference is with ANY HEALTH CARE WORKER they deal with some of the most vulnerable among us. They don’t like it I guess they can find a job at a some ritzy private care facility, but then who wants to hire someone who doesn’t give a shit about infecting someone else. Lots of health systems have made mandatory covid vaccines a requirement of continued employment and reportedly have only a small percentage leave or been fired. Money is money, if they want to keep getting that pay check, roll up those sleeves.
Tim says
It your choice! Don’t let a bureaucrat dominate you or your beliefs. Biden Admin can’t even manage a face mask. LOL
DaleL says
There is almost no actual medical conditions which prevent a person from getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Not one organized religion in the USA is anti-vaccination. Why is this even an issue? Just get vaccinated and move on.