According to new research published before Delta Air Lines DAL, a considerable proportion of workers support higher insurance rates for employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19,
announced that it would introduce a $ 200 health insurance surcharge for its unvaccinated workers.
Approximately 41% of workers in a national survey conducted by Ipsos for management consultancy Eagle Hill Consulting supported insurance rate hikes for unvaccinated workers, with baby boomers showing the highest level of support (45%) and Gen Z respondents showing the lowest (23%).
The 1,010-employee survey, released this week, ran from Aug. 8 to Aug. 11, two weeks before Bastian Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian announced Wednesday’s staff that unvaccinated employees enrolled in Delta’s “account-based health plan” would pay a $ 200 monthly surcharge starting Nov. 1.
As of Sept. 30, only workers fully vaccinated with advanced COVID-19 infections will be eligible for wage protection, Bastian added. According to his note, seventy-five percent of Delta employees are vaccinated against coronavirus.
“I know some of you may be taking an approach of waiting or waiting for full FDA approval,” he said. “With this week’s announcement that the FDA has granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, now is the time to get vaccinated.”
Related: Delta Air Lines charges unvaccinated workers $ 200. 12 more penalties to prevent COVID shooting
COVID-19 vaccines substantially reduce the risk of serious illness that can lead to hospitalization. Hospitalizations of adults not vaccinated with COVID-19 cost the U.S. health care system $ 2.3 billion in June and July, according to a recent analysis by the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the health think group KFF.
“This basic figure is probably an understatement of the cost burden of the healthcare system,” the report said.
Health insurers may be limited by state and federal regulations in their ability to set policies based on health factors, according to economists. The Affordable Assistance Act allows insurance companies to increase premiums by up to 50% for tobacco consumers, although some studies have suggested that these surcharges reduce insurance coverage and do not necessarily help workers to stop smoking.
Delta’s announcement came as the highly contagious delta variant continued to spread across the United States, hospitalizations were re-covered, and the country’s stagnant vaccination rates rose. As of Wednesday, 73% of American adults had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 63% were fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
See also: As Delta’s $ 200 surcharge shows, employers face a dilemma: keep workers safe and keep their employees
Following the full approval of the Pfizer PFE by the Food and Drug Administration,
-BioNTech BNTX,
coronavirus vaccine this week, President Biden called on more private sector companies to institute vaccination requirements to increase the country’s vaccination rates.
“If you are a business leader, a non-profit leader, a state or local leader who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccines, now I ask you to do so, so it requires it,” he said.
Respondents in the Eagle Hill Consulting survey were divided between 50 and 50 among employers who required vaccination to work in person. Compared to similar surveys conducted by the company in April, the increase in respondent quotas in August favored punitive measures for unvaccinated workers, such as not receiving special diets for working remotely, not being able to travel to work and not being able to work in person with clients or co-workers.
Although policies vary by company and workers may apply for religious or medical exemptions, a growing number of employers have announced COVID-19 vaccine warrants for face-to-face work, including Google GOOGL,
Facebook FB,
Tyson TSN,
and Disney DIS,
Some companies, such as Walmart WMT,
and McDonald’s MCD,
they have forced vaccinations for office workers, but they have stopped introducing requirements for front-line workers.