(WXYZ) — If you're not vaccinated, you could face higher insurance premiums. Companies are starting to increase health insurance for employees who do not have the COVID-19 shot. Local attorneys say raising insurance premiums for unvaccinated employees is not illegal, but is complex.
A group of large employers, including Alaska Air Group Inc. and FedEx Corp., sued the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Anthem Inc. and other insurance companies, alleging the defendants conspired to create "exclusive service areas" to limit competition over health insurance services.
Medicare sets the rates it will pay based on hospital costs. But private payers have to negotiate with every hospital and doctor. And experts say lack of competition is a big part of the problem.
Highmark has closed on its acquisition of Gateway Health Plan Inc., an affiliated Medicaid managed care health insurer that boosts Highmark's enrollment by 355,000 members.
As Oklahoma's daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations surpasses 1,600, health insurance companies nationwide are dropping copays and additional payments associated with COVID-19 hospitalization, OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler said in a COVID-19 update.
The financial cost of remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19 is rising. Health insurance providers are now asking people who contract the disease to share the cost of treatment, which can get expensive if it requires a lengthy hospital stay.