Covid and Charging More for Not Getting the Vaccine

Some governmental units and companies are requiring their employees to get a Covid vaccine shot: staff at nursing homes and hospitals; teachers; and more.  Delta Airlines is taking a different approach: they’re adding a $200 monthly surcharge on the cost of health insurance plans for employees who won’t get a shot.¹  The reaction seems to be: that’s a great idea.  After all, if you get Covid and have to go to the hospital, which is a lot more likely if you don’t get a shot, it costs a lot of money. 

I understand the reaction.  We need to get people vaccinated.  Requiring them to get a shot.  Adding a surcharge to an employee’s health insurance premium.  Whatever it takes.  This is a pandemic.

But I wonder, what’s next?  If companies can charge employees extra if they don’t get a Covid vaccine shot, what about somebody who smokes?  Smoking increases health insurance costs.  A lot of people would probably be fine with this.  Smoking is dumb.  The risks of smoking may be as bad as the risk of getting Covid if you don’t get a shot. 

So, what about people who are really obese?  That’s unhealthy.  That costs more.  And what about people who don’t or won’t take the drugs that they are prescribed?  Or who eat really unhealthy food.  What about people who won’t get a flu shot?  Can companies charge these people extra for their health insurance, too?  For that matter, the government provides a lot of our health insurance.  Can they charge people more?

I understand Covid is really bad.  It’s called a “pandemic” for a reason.  It would really help if people would just get their shots.  And some people do need to get shots based on their jobs.  But when we allow companies to charge employees extra for their health insurance because they aren’t making the right decision on Covid – and maybe let governments do it, too, we need to realize that what some people think is the next “just-as-bad-as-Covid” may be coming around the corner really soon.  And we need to think about who gets to make the decision that (i) it actually is “just-as-bad-as-Covid” and (ii) who has to pay extra for it.
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¹ I assume there are appropriate exceptions for people whose medical situation mean they shouldn’t get the vaccine, and I hope there are exceptions for honestly held religious beliefs.