Should employer-based health plans now jack up rates on the unvaccinated?

[frazzled]

3. Yes, as long as it doesn't lead to a slippery slope

Raising rates on the unvaccinated seems wholly justifiable in the context of the pandemic (and the illogical, often politically motivated obstinacy of the vaccine haters). But it could be a slippery slope to what is known as "risk selection"--that is, raising rates on people with illness, even if through no fault of their own. We went through this before with the ACA wars, and thank the lord that denying insurance or charging higher rates for pre-existing conditions was banned. But laws are not forever things, and I fear that insurers might use this as a precedent to start all kinds of cost-saving tactics or to lobby for changes. If we allow rate hikes for being unvaccinated, and they can successfully argue that being unvaccinated is a pre-existing condition, it could open a floodgate. With the current Supreme Court, I wouldn't trust the outcome.

So if you are a breast cancer survivor with risk of future metastasis, or a diabetic who didn't get the proper medication or treatment, or etc. etc., could this become a slippery slope back into the old days?

So while I'd love to say "absolutely," I have some reservations about the implications for the future, and for the rest of us.