Biden Admin. Asks US Supreme Court to Allow Health Care Worker Vaccine Mandate

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration is asking the US Supreme Court to block low-court orders that lifted the vaccine mandates for heath care workers that provide Medicare and Medicaid services, according to court filings.

The court filings revealed on Thursday that the Biden administration is asking the US Supreme Court to allow vaccine mandates for Medicare and Medicaid health care workers in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Alaska, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

The Biden administration argues in its appeals that the vaccine mandate will help protect the health and safety of Medicare and Medicaid patients, possibly saving hundreds or thousands of lives each month.

According to separate court documents, there are about 10.3 million healthcare workers who provide Medicare and Medicaid Services, but about 2.4 million of them do not want to receive a COVID-19 vaccines due to concerns of injuries or death or because of religious reasons. The administration has mandated healthcare providers receive one vaccine dose by December 6 and a second dose by January 4, 2022, the court documents said.