HHS, CMS Eliminate Financial Pressure Tied to Hospital Staff Vaccination Reporting

WASHINGTON - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today announced additional repeals of federal policy that financially rewarded hospitals for reporting staff vaccination rates – an incentive that was coercive and denied 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.” said Secretary Kennedy. “Doctors deserve the freedom to use their training, follow the science, and speak the truth-without fear of punishment.”

The policy, established under the Biden administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) inpatient payment rule, tied hospital reimbursement to staff vaccination reporting. The data was published on CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network as a tool for public shaming, not public health.

“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. Today’s announcement helps put that power back in their hands,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.

The policy repeals are part of a broader HHS’ effort to restore medical autonomy in federally funded programs and root out financial and regulatory pressures that incentivize physicians towards pre-scripted medical decisions rather than individualized, evidence-based care.