President issues 6-point plan focused on business engagement in vaccinating the unvaccinated
On Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, the President unveiled a 6-point COVID-19 response plan in response to the current rise in cases across the country. The strategy focuses on:
- Vaccinating the unvaccinated
- Providing further protections for the vaccinated
- Keeping schools safely open
- Increasing testing and masking
- Protecting economic recovery
- Improving care for those with COVID-19
The plan includes requiring more than 80 million Americans working in the private sector to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or produce negative test results at least once a week. It is expected that these new regulations will be issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the coming weeks and apply to companies with 100 or more employees.
In addition, the executive orders require most federal employees and contractors doing business with the federal government to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This will apply to approximately 50,000 providers and a majority of health care workers that work in settings receiving Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement.
The plan also mentions increasing the supply of tests and reducing the cost of at-home tests, and includes the purchase of 280,000,000 rapid tests that will be distributed to support long-term care facilities, community testing sites, critical infrastructure, shelters serving individuals experiencing homelessness, prisons and jails and other vulnerable populations and congregate settings.
UnitedHealthcare is evaluating what the Sept. 9 announcement might mean and once additional guidance is released, we will provide updates for brokers, consultants and customers. Please check the UnitedHealthcare COVID-19 FAQs for up-to-date information, and visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Locator to find and access COVID-19 vaccination providers.
To learn more about the President’s plan, read this UnitedHealthcare announcement.
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