I've posted this elsewhere on sherdog, so apologies if you've already heard this from me.
Insurance companies are probably just waiting for the FDA approval of this so they can save money. How? you ask. An unvaccinated long Covid stay in the ICU costs them tens of millions collectively. A vaccinated shorter stay, not so much.
They've probably got lobbyists with a plan to say "The vaccine is FDA approved and if you don't get it, you're taking a greater risk and placing a bigger possible burden on our bottom line." (They won't say THAT of course, but it'll be something along those lines). So to provide better care for the whole, we will not be covering any policyholders for their Covid related expenses if they are unvaccinated."
Remember, we have a for-profit healthcare system here in the U.S. and it's all about the dollars.
Longer Covid stay = more cost to the insurance company and less profit
Shorter Covid stay = less cost and more profit
It's all about the money.
That’s why preventative care is pushed so much.
United healthcare saw record revenue last quarter buy way less profit.
Insurers encourage preventive visits, which help avoid expensive problems like heart disease or cancer. But they might prefer
not to see customers go in for non-urgent visits like check-ups, and even pay big bucks to keep them away.
Telehealth: UnitedHealth expanded its telehealth offerings, which are cheaper than IRL appts, to all 50 states during the pandemic.
Wearables: UnitedHealth also offers customers free Apple Watches or Fitbits…
if they get their steps in.
Sometimes, not spending is good business and can help boost the bottom line. The health insurance biz has a classic “do less” model: health insurers often make less money the
more their customers use their services. Ditto for car insurance companies.
This is also pretty interesting:
Pre-pandemic, Moderna was a little-known biotech startup worth $6B — with zero products on the market. In May 2020, Moderna was a $27B biotech working on a Covid vax — still,
with zero products. Today, Moderna is a household name worth $123B, and its Covid vaccine has been injected into the arms of 63M Americans.