IMA Applauds RFK for Closing “Backdoor” Vaccine Mandate for Medical Staff

IMA applauds RFK for ending hospital vaccine mandates tied to federal funding—but universities and academic centers are still playing by those rules.

“It’s time to end the unlawful coercion of medical and university personnel through these backdoor COVID shot mandates.” – Dr. Joseph Varon

The Independent Medical Alliance (IMA), as a coalition of physicians, healthcare providers, and researchers dedicated to science-driven healthcare reform, applauds HHS Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for eliminating a regulatory rule that effectively pressured hospitals to enforce COVID-19 vaccine mandates on healthcare workers.

“This is a major victory for medical freedom,” said Dr. Joseph Varon, President and Chief Medical Officer of IMA. “The prior policy created a perverse financial incentive for hospitals to mandate staff vaccination, regardless of individual health conditions, personal choice, or evolving science. That’s not public health—that’s regulatory coercion.”

IMA also warned that similar incentive structures persist in other federally funded institutions, including university medical centers, academic research hospitals, and large outpatient clinic systems. For example, the Department of Education and the NIH continue to award billions in research and institutional grants to universities and medical schools that demonstrate “strong vaccination compliance,” often using CDC-aligned staff mandates as a metric.

“This financial arm-twisting is still happening,” said Dr. Varon. “Whether through CMS, NIH, or even private insurers copying the federal playbook, medical professionals are being forced to choose between their jobs and their judgment. That’s unethical. It must end.”

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