Democrat In New York State Legislature: I’m Proposing Bill To Prevent Health Insurance Coverage For Unvaccinated Covid Patients. Photo: Florida International University student Rico Rozier gets the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine on campus, Aug. 24, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
New York State Democrat Assemblyman Patrick Burke is proposing legislation that would allow health insurance companies to deny coverage to the unvaccinated for any covid-related treatments.
“I know we’re all tired of this pandemic, and it’s largely being perpetuated by variants of covid that keep sprouting up, and they’re mostly sprouting up in unvaccinated populations,” said Assemblyman Burke, who represents New York’s 142nd district, which includes South Buffalo, the City of Lackawanna, and the towns of West Seneca, and Orchard Park.
Burke’s bill is in the early stages and is still being drafted, ABC affiliate WKBW reported.
“We need to do everything we can to incentivize people to get vaccinated,” Burke said. “If folks are demanding their freedom, they have the freedom to not get vaccinated, to increase the likelihood of spreading a very dangerous disease, then I don’t know if the insurance pool and the rest of us should be covering for their very, very bad decisions that are already hurting us in a different way.”
Unvaccinated adults are 11 times more likely to die from covid-19 than fully vaccinated people, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the week of Nov. 1, 2021, fully-vaccinated New Yorkers had a 78.3 percent lower chance of becoming a covid-19 case compared to unvaccinated New Yorkers, according to the New York State Department of Health.
“I’m introducing a bill that allows insurance providers to deny coverage for Covid related treatment to those who refuse to be vaccinated. Do your part or pay your own way. Freedom isn’t free,” Burke tweeted.
A Republican who is running for Congress in 2022, Dutchess County Executive and former State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro responded to Burke on Twitter. “Giving providers more power to deny coverage is wrong,” Molinaro tweeted. “Denying coverage to those choices you disagree with isn’t progressive, it’s wrong.
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The proposed bill didn’t sit well with others on Twitter.
“#PandamicPandorasBox where will it end? No politician can be trusted with human rights at this time! None of you anywhere. Your very actions betray you. Your mismanagement and manipulations give you away. Suck it up. China’s economy is now the dominant,” K @K08345975 tweeted.
Another user complained, “#BlueMaga / #RedMaga, they are all the same.” ladmey Dangerfield @VladDangerfield tweeted.
