A Louisiana-based hospital system is mandating COVID-19 vaccination for the spouses of employees on the company benefits plan and will add a vaccine fee for workers as long their partner remains unvaccinated.
Ochsner Health, the largest hospital system in the state, in August mandated that all of its employees get vaccinated or lose their jobs. Now, the company sent a notice to employees informing them that a health insurance surcharge of $100 per pay period will be inflicted on any employee with an unvaccinated domestic partner or spouse who is covered under the company health insurance plan, a letter sent to employees stated.
“Similar to our employee vaccination requirement, this spousal COVID vaccine fee aims to protect our entire Ochsner team, which includes employees, their families and the communities we serve,” the letter, which circulated on social media this week, stated.
BREAKING: #OchsnerHealth in LA is now mandating vaccines for spouses of employees.
If your spouse is on your insurance and does not get the jab, they will be imposing a $100 per-pay-period fee.
What started as a $100 incentive to get the jab has now turned into a recurring tax. pic.twitter.com/RBPGKmQj1I
— Jason Bailey (@iamjasonbailey) September 30, 2021
“This is not a mandate as non-employed spouses and domestic partners can choose to select a health plan outside of Ochsner Health offerings. As with our employee vaccination policy, spouses and domestic partners with medical and religious objections will be able to file exemption requests,” Ochsner Health told local news station KATC-TV.
The company said the new policy will affect employees’ 2022 health benefits and is similar to a company policy for tobacco users.
“The reality is the cost of treating COVID-19, particularly for patients requiring intensive inpatient care, is expensive, and we spent more than $9 million on COVID care for those who are covered on our health plans over the last year,” Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas said in a statement.
“We know that COVID-19 vaccination dramatically reduces transmission, severity of symptoms, hospitalizations, and death. Approximately 90% of those hospitalized with COVID in our facilities have been unvaccinated since vaccines were approved in December 2020,” he said.
“Widespread vaccination is critical to stopping the spread of COVID-19, and we hope this change will encourage even more community members to get vaccinated. We encourage employees with questions about employee benefits to send questions directly to Human Resources.”
Numerous companies in the United States have implemented requirements for employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to keep their jobs. President Joe Biden signed a controversial executive order mandating that all businesses with more than 100 employees implement a vaccine mandate or require their workers to get tested for the virus regularly.
Delta Air Lines was the first major U.S. company to increase the health insurance premiums of unvaccinated employees. In August, the airline announced it would charge employees an extra $200 per month on the company health insurance plan unless they got vaccinated.
OMG…. (Rolling my eyes)
Now they’re just trying to see how far they can take it.
Unfrigginbelievable…….
Once again, if they are vaccinated and believe that the jab actually works, THEN WHO CARES IF SOMEONE ELSE IS “UNVACCINATED”!!!!!
“This is not a mandate”
Nope. It’s just blackmail. And thanks to you, you just gave Biden and company a new idea to blackmail us into getting the jab. Expect all companies to start doing this by the end of the year.
I truly can’t believe the stupidity and complacency of the people in this country. Anything so they don’t have to fight or get their hands dirty.
““The reality is the cost of treating COVID-19, particularly for patients requiring intensive inpatient care, is expensive, and we spent more than $9 million on COVID care for those who are covered on our health plans over the last year,” Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas said in a statement.”
So basically it has nothing to do with protection from COVID and has everything to do with health insurance companies losing money and needing to find a way to get it back.
Got it! Thanks.
9 million?
That’s maybe about their ceo’s bonus and it’s based on a lie they’re pushing to bilk billions out of people and implement totalitarianism.
Remember the days when hospitals weren’t “systems”? Just like the days there were no “group health insurance plans” or HMOs or PPOs–when medical care was cheap and not totally allo(psycho)pathic?
ceo warner thomas is a good friend of the adl and is all about “inclusiveness”.
I guess that is unless you don’t submit to their poison jab.