Syndication: FortMyers
NEW YORK (77WABC) – Delta airlines will soon raise healthcare costs for employees who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The airline said that as of November 1, unvaccinated staff will pay up to $200 a month more surcharge for their company health insurance, depending on the coverage. It will also limit the number of sick days unvaccinated employees are allowed to take if they contract Covid-19. It will also require unvaccinated employees to take weekly Covid tests.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian made the announcement in a company-wide memo.
“While we can be proud of our 75% vaccination rate, the aggressiveness of the variant means we need to get many more of our people vaccinated, and as close to 100% as possible.
The average hospital stay for Covid-19 has cost Delta $40,000 per person. This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company. This is not just costing lives, this is costing us financial resources as well.”
Under legislation passed by Congress last year, Delta employees who are sick get up to 14 days of “Covid pay protection” before they have to start using their standard company sick days. Delta says that will end for unvaccinated employees as of September 30th.
