Workers And Businesses Are Paying More To Get Unvaccinated In America Because Of Rising Costs

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Kosali Simon, an Indiana University professor of health economics, said that vaccines were a big hit when they first appeared. The biggest question was whether it would take long to satisfy the demand. “It never occurred to me that a year later we would be studying the cost of people refusing the vaccines.

Alicia Royce is a 38-year old special education teacher from Coachella, California. She chose not to get the COVID vaccine, or have her two vaccine-eligible kids get it. Royce was vaccinated by her parents, but she is concerned about adverse reactions and other issues.

The decision puts Royce in a delicate spot. Like other schools in California, her school has a mandated vaccine for staff. Royce is currently exempt from the requirement and receives COVID testing twice a week. After the school year, Royce’s family has begun to plan to move to Alabama where there are no mandates.

“I’ll be paid less,” said Royce who anticipates a $40,000-per-year pay cut. “But I’m moving to my own personal freedom.”

PREVENTABLE CARE, BILLIONS OF COSTS

The number of Americans hospitalized for COVID in the United States is at an all-time low of 17 months as the pandemic enters its third anniversary. The majority of Americans have been vaccinated and the country is slowly regaining some normalcy, despite the fact that authorities anticipate an increase in infections due to the BA.2 subvariant.

Yet, millions of Americans are returning to work, public transport, and other social settings. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that nearly 25% of U.S. adults still haven’t been fully immunized. The latest data shows that many of these people won’t be easy to convince: The U.S. population seeking the first COVID vaccine has fallen to a 14-month low.