Companies are telling unvaccinated workers to pay more for health insurance

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""Wellness programs" allow companies to raise health care premiums
Other employers, including Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan Chase and Harmons appear to be raising health care premiums for unvaccinated workers under something called a "wellness program."

According to federal law, companies are allowed to charge employees different amounts for health care as long as they do it through a program designed to promote healthy behaviors and prevent disease.

For example, a company may run a wellness program that encourages employees to accumulate a certain number of steps every day or sets targets for BMI, a measurement of body fat based on height and weight. There are also wellness programs aimed at preventing and curbing tobacco use.

How Well Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work?

"Your wellness program could simply be: I'm going to encourage all of my employees to get vaccinated, full stop," says Sabrina Corlette, founder and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

As part of these programs, companies can offer rewards or penalties for meeting certain targets, such as getting vaccinated. But they must not exceed 30% of the cost of the employee's health care plan, calculated as the amount paid by the employee and the employer combined. The maximum penalty rises to 50% for wellness programs targeting tobacco use.

"Most employers are doing this to try to have a healthier and more productive workforce... and to spend less on overall health care costs," says Corlette."...

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel the increased premium is for risky behavior.

Good.