Unvaccinated To Pay Out-Of-Pocket Under IL Rep's New Bill

ILLINOIS — Unvaccinated Illinoisans could eventually be paying their own hospital bills, whether they have health insurance or not. A new bill proposed by state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook Democrat, would require anyone who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine but who chooses not to get one to pay out of pocket if they are hospitalized with COVID-19.

If passed, the amendment to the Illinois Insurance Code would go into effect with policies issued or renewed after Jan. 1, 2023.

Calling COVID-19 a "disease of the unvaccinated," Carroll told the Chicago Sun-Times, "You choose not to get vaccinated, then you’re also going to assume the risk that if you do catch COVID, and you get sick, the responsibility is on you."

Patch has reached out to Carroll's office seeking further comment.

Republicans have accused Carroll's bill of seeking to take "health care away from Illinoisans," and it is likely to face significant legal challenges. The Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, requires health insurers to cover pre-existing conditions and forbids them from terminating coverage due to COVID-19 or any other diagnosis.

Carroll's proposal comes after Illinois reported a new spike in coronavirus cases that officials say is likely due in part to holiday travel and Thanksgiving gatherings. State health officials are also on the lookout for the new omicron variant recently identified by the World Health Organization.

Illinois Reports Highest COVID-19 Case Spike Of The Year

Health officials say omicron is likely more transmissible than even the delta variant, but early reports from South Africa — where omicron was first identified — indicate it may actually be milder. Scientists and health officials say it's too soon to know for sure, since deaths and hospitalizations often lag behind cases, but they expect to know more in a matter of weeks.

As of Friday, 2,263 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, including 579 in intensive care and 256 on ventilators. That represents an 11 percent increase from Friday.

Officials said 13 percent of hospital beds and 14 percent of ICU beds remain available across Illinois — for COVID-19 patients and all others.

More than 17.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Illinois since they became available earlier this year and, as of Tuesday, 58.7 percent of Illinoisans were fully vaccinated. More than 2.1 million booster doses have also been administered, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that all Americans get a booster shot to protect against the omicron variant as well as other forms of the coronavirus.

More than 1.85 million cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Illinois since the pandemic began, and 26,620 Illinoisans have died from the disease, not including another 2,999 probable COVID-19 deaths.