Hospitalizations Getting More Expensive for Unvaccinated

[applegrove]

Hospitalizations Getting More Expensive for Unvaccinated

August 20, 2021 at 10:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 224 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2021/08/20/hospitalizations-getting-more-expensive-for-unvaccinated/

"SNIP.....

Axios: “Coronavirus patients who end up hospitalized — the vast majority of whom are unvaccinated — are increasingly likely to be on the hook for their medical bills.”

“Early in the pandemic, most insurers waived out-of-pocket costs for coronavirus hospitalizations.

“But with vaccines readily available, many patients are once again on the hook for deductibles and co-pays, which could make remaining unvaccinated a lot more expensive.”

......SNIP"

[davsand]

1. I see it as being like the choice to smoke.

We KNOW habitual tobacco use increases medical costs. Insurance companies pass that cost along to consumers, and that has been the reality for quite some time. Choosing not to be vaccinated for COVID also increases costs to treat, and it's not a shock to see it cost more to engage in a risky behavior.

My big question is at what point will hospital triage begin to prioritize treatment and ICU facilities for patients who are vaccinated? I am afraid it's gonna come, and I'm afraid the system is so overwhelmed right now that we might see that happen in the near future.


Laura




Edited to correct spelling error!

[applegrove]

3. It is so tragic those people are so fooled.

[davsand]

4. We all live and die by our decisions.

I do feel bad that some folks were taken in by all the bluster and BS. I also feel bad for the ones wheeling around oxygen tanks and emergency inhalers to deal with the results of years of tobacco use. I also spent years telling my daughter that ultimately we all have to live with the decisions we make. At some point, personal responsibility cannot be evaded. COVID is, IMO, one of those points.

I honestly feel a lot of sadness for the families and KIDS left behind by these same vaccine refusals. I feel awful for the medical staff that is dealing first hand with the sick people who made the choice not to get vaccinated. I feel really angry on behalf of parents who are dealing with a sick kid who couldn't get vaccinated. The ones who refused vaccination and got seriously ill tend to fall a little lower on the sympathy scale for me. I know that's not terribly compassionate of me, but I also know more than a few parents who are terrified for their kids right now...

Every aspect of the current situation is awful.


Laura

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Do smokers really pay more for medical costs?

I never heard that before.

I don't smoke, never smoked, and I've long lost patience with smokers who don't understand why they have various health problems. But nowhere have I ever seen any hint they were dinged for their smoking.

On edit: a quick Google search shows that insurance can charge a higher premium for smokers. That aside, they apparently still don't pay any additional for actual care, so far as I can tell.

[davsand]

7. Here's an article from PubMed

Conclusions
Health care costs among former smokers increase relative to continuing smokers in the year after cessation but fall to a level that is statistically indistinguishable in the second year postquit. Any net increase in costs among former smokers relative to continuing smokers appears compensated for within two years post-quit and is maintained for at least six years after cessation.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360912/


Regards!


Laura

[Pachamama]

2. Raise the premiums of those that refuse to vaccinate -even require for Covid a waiver agreement

That they have to pay a large percentage of the ICU and treatment costs out of pocket (and their estate) if they are unvaccinated upon admission to a hospital for COVID.

[LiberatedUSA]

5. And they can't lie about it, as the real card can be tracked.

Not that lying would help anyway. Lie about smoking, get smoking-related cancer, insurance goes bye-bye.