December 2021

The White House COVID-19 Response Team and public health officials offered a “Message to the Unvaccinated” during an official press briefing just before Christmas: “We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated. You’ve done the right thing, and we will get through this. For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services rejected Medicaid work requirements in Georgia, once again taking a swipe at state-based innovation within federal programs—and at the dignity of work. The decision continued the administration’s rollback of the Trump-era policy, targeting the only remaining state with federal approval for the requirements.