On Wednesday, a group of ten states filed a lawsuit against the federal government in an attempt to prevent healthcare workers from being required to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
States filed lawsuit against Biden administration over vaccine mandate. (Photo: CBS News)
Lawsuit Filed Against Biden Administration
In a recently published article in The Hill, the case, filed in federal court in Missouri, claims that the vaccination mandate jeopardizes the careers of millions of healthcare professionals and might worsen an already-existing shortage, especially in rural regions where some health workers have been unwilling to obtain the doses.
Similar lawsuits have been filed by Republican-led states challenging new Biden administration rules requiring federal contractors to ensure that their workers are vaccinated and businesses with more than 100 employees to require their workers to be vaccinated or wear masks and be tested weekly for the coronavirus. All of the requirements are set to go into force on January 4th.
Compelling health care employees to be vaccinated or risk termination, according to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, is unconstitutional and illegal and might worsen healthcare personnel shortages to the point of collapse, particularly in Missouri’s rural districts, according to a published report in The Guardian.
What does the Lawsuit Argue?
The complaint claims that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement imposes an unprecedented government vaccination obligation on practically every full-time, part-time, volunteer, and contractor working at a variety of healthcare institutions that receive Medicaid or Medicaid funds.
Vaccination requirements, according to the 58-page document, are subject to local variables and conditions. According to the lawsuit, the CMS vaccination requirement risks exacerbating a critical shortage of healthcare personnel, especially in rural areas, which has already reached critical levels, according to a published report in Associated Press.
Furthermore, eight additional states with Republican governors joined Missouri in the lawsuit: Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and New Hampshire. Kansas, the tenth state, has a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, but consistently votes Republican in presidential elections.
