Unvaccinated adults hospitalized with Covid-19 cost the American health system at least $2.3 billion in June and July this year, according to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, most of which will be borne by society as a whole and not by the unvaccinated patients.
Over 100,000 Covid-19 hospitalizations could have been prevented by vaccination in June and July, research by Kaiser found.
These preventable hospitalizations cost the U.S. healthcare system around $2.3 billion, the Kaiser report said, based on an average Covid-19 hospitalization costing around $20,000.
Due to laws preventing insurers from charging unvaccinated people higher premiums, the Kaiser report said the bill will fall on everyone as they will pay only “a small share of the cost” directly.
This means those refusing Covid-19 vaccines inflict a greater burden on the taxpayer and risk higher insurance premiums for businesses and workers, the Kaiser report said, as well as imposing indirect costs like risking the health and safety of others and prolonging the country’s economic recovery.
The “ballpark figure is likely an understatement of the cost burden on the health system from treatment of Covid-19 among unvaccinated adults,” according to the report, pointing to an increase in Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in August and conservative estimates likely underestimating the burden of preventable hospital admissions.
The costs of outpatient treatment, not accounted for in this study, are also likely to be “substantial.”
84%. That’s how many of Covid-19 hospitalizations were preventable by vaccination, the Kaiser report estimated using CDC data. This does not account for children, who may not be able to get vaccinated or be able to make the decision themselves, and is likely not the full picture. Covid-19 can worsen other ailments for which patients are then hospitalized.
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