The Biden Administration today rolled out details of the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care providers that bill the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as businesses with 100 or more employees. Find out if these mandates apply to you and your business and join federal officials for two Zoom briefings later today (see below) for more guidance and to get your questions answered.

For Medicare & Medicaid Providers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule With Comment Period to outline the requirements that Medicare and Medicaid providers must meet to participate in these programs. Additionally, click here to download frequently asked questions for health care providers. CMS officials will host a Zoom briefing today — Thursday, November 4 at 2:00 PM ET — to provide guidance for stakeholders and answer questions. If you would like to submit a question, please email partnership@cms.hhs.gov with "IFC-6 Stakeholder Call Question" in the subject line. The deadline to register for today's briefing is 12:00 PM ET. Click here to register.

For Companies With 100 or More Employees

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect unvaccinated employees of large employers (100 or more employees) from the risk of contracting COVID-19 by strongly encouraging vaccination. Covered employers must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, with an exception for employers that instead adopt a policy requiring employees to either get vaccinated or elect to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work in lieu of vaccination. OSHA will hold a Zoom briefing today — Thursday, November 4 at 1:00 PM ET — to provide an overview of the ETS, offer guidance around implementation, and answer your questions. Attendees are encouraged to review OSHA's website for information ahead of the briefing. Click here to register to attend and submit your questions.

Click here to access HCAF's vaccine mandate webpage for more information, updates, and resources.