Ochsner Health has already mandated the vaccine for its 33,000 employees. Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Louisiana's key health system has added an insurance surcharge to cover staff members with spouses who are not vaccinated.
Ochsner employees will need to pay $200 more per month if they wish to keep their spouses covered.
The CEO stated that 82% of employees are fully vaccinated.
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Louisiana's largest health care system will require employees to pay $200 per month to ensure their spouses are covered under the benefits system.
Ochsner Health informed staff in a letter that the "spousal COVID vaccination fee" would be implemented in 2022. This was per New Orleans publication NOLA, and social media photos. It stated that the fee would not apply to unvaccinated dependents.
Warner Thomas, CEO, stated to the publication that Ochsner had introduced the surcharge after reviewing its benefits plan.
Thomas stated that the reality of COVID-19 treatment, especially for patients who require intensive inpatient care, can be expensive. He said that more than $9M was spent on COVID care by those who were covered under their health plans.
NOLA was informed by him that there wasn't any vaccine mandate for partners or spouses, and they could opt to have health insurance through another provider. He said that spouses and partners who are not vaccinated could be exempt from paying the surcharges if there are medical or religious exemptions.
Delta Airlines also has a $200 per month insurance surcharge for employees who are not vaccinated. Within two weeks of the announcement of the policy, a fifth of the airline's unvaccinated employees received the shot.
Ochsner in August announced that all 33,000 employees of the company would need to be vaccinated before October 29. Sixty-nine percent of Ochsner employees had been vaccinated at the time. The statistic didn't indicate whether it was based on employees who were fully or partially vaccinated.
Thomas informed NOLA that 82% of staff had been fully vaccinated as of September 30, and that this number rose to 98% among hospital leaders and physicians.
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Warner said that around 300 staff members have applied for religious or medical exemptions.
Houston Methodist Hospital mandated the shot in June for its staff. In June, 153 employees quit or were fired because of the policy. Some officials from the state and healthcare claim that mandated vaccines are causing staff shortages in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
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