MHA Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on CMS Vaccine Mandate

January 13, 2022

“Our caregivers have worked tirelessly over the past two years fighting the coronavirus and working to keep our communities safe. With the CMS COVID-19 vaccine requirement once again in place for healthcare facilities, Montana hospitals will adjust their policies to ensure compliance with the federal law. CMS has asserted this federal requirement takes priority over state and local law,” said Rich Rasmussen, president and CEO of the Montana Hospital Association.

“Hospital compliance with CMS requirements is essential to the continued operations of Montana’s hospitals and preserving access to healthcare services for our communities. Noncompliance with this federal requirement could lead to termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This would drastically reduce access to healthcare services for Montanans over 65 years of age, working and low-income families, pregnant women and children and people with disabilities or result in hospital closures. The loss of care would have a negative impact on the health of all Montanans because payments received from Medicare and Medicaid help support services available to all of us. CMS payments represent 70% of healthcare spending at Montana hospitals, and these payments are critical to the financial viability and continued operations of healthcare providers,” said Rasmussen.

###