Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether hospital employees were required to pay higher health-insurance premiums, lost wellness incentives, or missed out on other health-plan benefits because they declined COVID-19 vaccination or did not complete employer-required vaccination alternatives.
Publicly available information indicates that some hospital systems adopted health-plan incentives or premium differentials tied to COVID-19 vaccination status. In some cases, employees who were not vaccinated reportedly paid higher health-insurance premiums or were required to complete additional health-plan requirements to avoid financial penalties.
These requirements may have included:
- providing proof of COVID-19 vaccination;
- paying a monthly or annual premium surcharge if unvaccinated;
- completing additional health screenings or wellness activities;
- requesting a medical or religious accommodation;
- submitting exemption documentation before specified deadlines;
- participating in additional employer wellness requirements; or
- completing other requirements to maintain lower health-insurance premiums.
Federal law places limits on how employer-sponsored health plans may structure wellness incentives and premium differentials. Depending on the design of the program, employees may have been entitled to reasonable alternatives, accommodations, or other procedural protections before paying higher premiums.
Questions may also arise regarding whether employees received sufficient notice of available alternatives, whether accommodation requests were properly evaluated, and whether the program was administered consistently.
We Are Interested in Hearing From Current and Former Hospital Employees Who:
- paid higher health-insurance premiums because they were not vaccinated;
- were assessed a COVID-19 vaccination-related premium surcharge;
- requested a medical or religious accommodation;
- completed an alternative requirement but still paid higher premiums;
- lost a premium discount or wellness incentive because of vaccination status;
- were required to submit medical documentation they did not wish to provide;
- experienced inconsistent administration of the vaccination program; or
- believe the program was confusing, unfair, or difficult to complete.
You may have rights even if the financial consequence appeared as a “vaccination surcharge,” “premium differential,” “wellness surcharge,” “standard premium,” or “loss of a wellness incentive.”
If you participated in your hospital employer’s health plan and were affected by a vaccination-related premium differential or wellness requirement, please contact Migliaccio & Rathod LLP. There is no charge to speak with us, and there is no obligation to take legal action.
If you believe you encountered these issues, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.
Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that represents consumers and employees in class-action lawsuits nationwide.