Health Insurers Embrace Vaccine Requirements for Workers

by Leslie Small

Although the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates are meeting resistance in the federal courts, many health care firms — including insurers — appear to be requiring their employees to get COVID-19 vaccinations anyway. 

Survey Looks at Policies in Health Care, Other Sectors 

• In a newly released survey from Willis Towers Watson, 47% of health care organizations polled said they had a vaccine requirement in place already, compared to just 18% of employers overall. 
• On the flip side, 15% of health care companies said they were not planning to adopt a vaccine mandate, while 33% of employers overall said the same. 
• Patricia Toro, M.D., senior director of health management at Willis Towers Watson, says it makes sense that health insurers would move ahead with policies that require COVID-19 vaccination. “Almost all health plans promote all manner of vaccines, all the time, and understand the value of preventive care,” she tells AIS Health. “So in that context I would imagine the companies themselves would be very pro-vaccine.” 

Payers Share Their Policies 

• All major health insurers who shared their policies with AIS Health said they had some form of vaccine mandate in place for their workforce — typically focused on employees who either cannot or choose not to work remotely. 
• Centene Corp. said that it “is requiring employees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a general condition of employment, while allowing for a variety of exemptions, including medical and religious accommodations.” 
• Humana Inc. noted that while the majority of its workforce is already vaccinated, the firm “has adjusted our vaccine requirements” in light of a now-challenged OSHA regulation that mandates most private employers to implement vaccine requirements. “We will now require associates who work outside of their home to either submit proof of vaccination or undergo weekly COVID testing and wear a face covering while at work,” the insurer said. 
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan cited President Biden’s Executive Order 14042, which outlines vaccine requirements for federal contractors. “It is clear that many of our employees are included in the EO’s definition of a federal contractor, and the EO requires vaccinations of employees,” the insurer said in an emailed statement. “After much consideration, we have made the decision that it is best for our colleagues, members and customers to require all employees….to be vaccinated for COVID-19.” 

From Health Plan Weekly