WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a move aimed at reversing pandemic-era policies and restoring what officials describe as “medical freedom,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has rescinded a federal regulation that linked hospital reimbursements to staff vaccination reporting. The policy, instituted under the Biden administration, had tied financial incentives to whether hospitals disclosed their healthcare workers’ vaccination rates.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced the repeal, framing the prior policy as coercive and inconsistent with principles of informed consent. “Medical decisions should be made based on one thing: the wellbeing of the person—never on a financial bonus or a government mandate,” Kennedy stated. “Doctors deserve the freedom to use their training, follow the science, and speak the truth—without fear of punishment.”
The now-rescinded requirement originated from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) inpatient payment rule and was designed to promote transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic. It mandated hospitals to report staff vaccination rates, with that data subsequently published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network. Supporters of the original policy had argued it promoted accountability and informed public decision-making. However, critics within the current administration assert the rule operated more as a mechanism for public pressure than as a tool for health promotion.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz echoed Secretary Kennedy’s criticism of the policy’s implications. “Doctors and other providers should have the same autonomy to choose what’s right for their own individual health care needs as the patients for whom they care,” Oz said. “Today’s announcement helps put that power back in their hands.”
The repeal is part of a broader HHS initiative to dismantle federal policies that officials say imposed undue financial or regulatory pressure on healthcare providers. According to the Department, such policies may have inadvertently encouraged uniform, protocol-driven care over individualized medical judgment.
This latest action reflects a philosophical shift in how the federal government intends to regulate healthcare practice, emphasizing physician discretion and patient autonomy over administrative standardization. While the debate over balancing public health priorities with individual rights continues, HHS is signaling that federally funded health programs should prioritize clinical independence and evidence-based care unencumbered by monetary or bureaucratic influence.
The Department has not indicated whether additional COVID-related policies will be reevaluated, but officials have suggested that further reforms aimed at eliminating what they characterize as “pre-scripted medical decision-making” are likely.
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