Delta Air Lines is raising health insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees by $200 a month to cover higher Covid costs

CNBC ^ | Augustine 25, 2021 | Leslie Josephs

[Stravinsky]

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian notified employees Wednesday that they will face $200 monthly increases on their health insurance premiums starting Nov. 1 if they aren't vaccinated against Covid-19, citing steep costs to cover employees who are hospitalized with the virus.

Unvaccinated employees will face other restrictions, including indoor masking effective immediately and weekly Covid-19 tests starting Sept. 12 the Atlanta-based airline said in announcing new Covid policies for employees.

The measures are the latest attempt by a U.S. corporation to drive up Covid vaccination rates. Delta stopped short of an outright mandate like rival United Airlines established earlier this month. The airline, which self insures its employees, stands out in its plans to raise premiums for unvaccinated workers to cover the higher costs of insuring employees who get Covid.

"The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $40,000 per person," Bastian said in an employee memo. "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company. In recent weeks since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated."

[ealgeone]

IF I worked for Delta....I'd be asking?

Are homosexuals required to be tested for HIV/AIDS?

Are all employees required to be tested for STDs?

Have all employees been vaccinated against the flu?

chicken pox?

measels

, etc, etc, etc.

Will overweight cabin attendents be charged more like overweight baggage is?

A first year law student would have fun with this.

[ealgeone]

One is proven...the other is not.

[Albion Wilde]

since the rise of the B.1.617.2 variant, all Delta employees who have been hospitalized with COVID were not fully vaccinated."

Not FULLY vaccinated may mean they only got one shot, or it may mean they got two shots, but the second one was recent. But of course, only the "unvaccinated" will pay.

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