Oct 1, 2021 - Health

Louisiana health system to charge employees with unvaccinated partners

Kierra Frazier

A potable water tanker in front of Ochsner Health Center after Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. — Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The largest health care system in Louisiana will charge its employees $200 a month if a spouse or domestic partner covered under its health plan is not vaccinated against the coronavirus, NOLA reports.

Why it matters: The new rule, which will take effect in 2022, comes as the vast majority of coronavirus patients who end up hospitalized are unvaccinated.

Most will likely have to pay for their own medical bills, according to a KFF analysis, as insurers won't waive out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The big picture: Ochsner Health, which employs nearly 32,000 employees and over 4,500 physicians, calls the policy the "spousal COVID vaccine fee," according to a letter Ochsner leaders sent to employees, NOLA reports.

Ochsner will add a health insurance surcharge of $100 per pay period, which adds up $2,400 yearly from an employee's bi-weekly paycheck.
CEO Warner Thomas said the company spent more than $9 million on COVID-19 care for those covered under its health plans, per NOLA. Thomas said the surcharge will keep health premiums low for employees.
Unvaccinated patients accounted for 90% of COVID hospitalizations in Ochsner facilities, per NOLA.

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Louisiana health system to charge employees with unvaccinated partners

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