A new analysis by the Connecticut Hospital Association found the cost of treating unvaccinated adults for COVID-19 in June and July was $9.5 million.
That model assumes the cost is about $20,000 per person admitted to one of Connecticut’s 27 acute care hospitals.
“The cost of providing preventable hospital care for unvaccinated individuals is an additional data point supporting the need for all eligible individuals to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” Paul Kidwell, a spokesman for CHA, said. “The vaccines are safe and have proven very effective in preventing hospitalizations due to COVID-19. We continue to encourage all eligible individuals to protect themselves, their families, and our communities from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.”
According to statistics compiled by the CHA regarding reported admission numbers in June and July 2021, of the 773 adult patients admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 during that time, 98% were estimated to be unvaccinated. Of those patients, 74% were believed to be hospitalized primarily for COVID-19, and 84% of those hospitalizations are believed to have been preventable.
“It’s believed that nearly 500 of those hospitalizations could have been prevented by vaccination,” Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff said. “This shows that vaccination is not just a personal choice, but one that impacts our communities and the services we need every day.”
Delta Airlines announced last week it will charge its employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Delta is self-insured.
Fully insured health plans regulated by the state and federal government are not allowed under the Affordable Care Act to charge any policyholder more for not being vaccinated.
”Under the Affordable Care Act there are certain allowable rating factors, and COVID vaccination status is not an allowable rating factor,” Neil Kelsey of ConnectiCare told insurance regulators earlier this week.
The state reported that 357 people were hospitalized as of Thursday with COVID-19.
The state’s positivity rate dropped from a high of 4.65% down to 2.99% on Thursday.
The Department of Public Health also reported 8,617 cases of COVID-19 among the fully vaccinated. Of the more than 2.2 million people in Connecticut who have completed their vaccine series only 0.38% have contracted the virus.