An Agent Weighs in on COVID-19 Vaccinations

I am not a lawyer. I have not attempted to play one on T.V. That being said, what I am is an insurance professional who offers to the public life insurance and health insurance policies crafted by lawyers and actuaries.

Currently the country is being ripped apart by the debate over those who favor masks and vaccines and those that do not. The governors of various states and our president have aligned with one of these two ways of thinking.

I am a pretty simple person and I try to avoid political; religious; or values based debates. I have tried to keep silent but I feel that the debate has gone on long enough without me putting in my thoughts.

Questions

I view the whole debate by thinking outside the box. If some person with a national audience asked this simple question what impact would it have on a person's thinking?

Here is the question: "If you suddenly came down with COVID-19 and had not received any vaccinations prior, would you expect your health insurance to pay your bills?"

I am going to add a second question: "If you died, would you expect your life insurance to pay out to your named beneficiary?"

These two questions and their answers would, I feel, have a significant impact on quieting the debate.

If government at all levels agreed that, in most cases, the failure to obtain the COVID vaccines was a decision that a person made of their own free will, and that any outcome that resulted from this decision was on them exclusively, I feel the currently unvaccinated would line up in a hurry.

Personal Responsibility

Doctors and hospitals should not be forced to treat people who contract coronavirus as a result of not getting vaccinated.

Unless an unvaccinated person has the financial means to pay the medical bills for physician and nurse care, breathing devices, and all the other devices and services connected to COVID 19 care, they would need to figure out how to pay for their care before receiving any.

Likewise, I think life insurance and disability benefits should be denied in any situation in which an insured voluntarily chose to not receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

We live in an incredible country. Think about it: From the time COVID-19 started disrupting the world until the time the vaccine was first available, not even 12 months had passed.

Then the leadership of our country devised the means for mass distribution of the vaccine and created a means to record keep for every dose administered, and….all vaccines were provided for free.

What possible excuse could there be for not obtaining this protection?

Self-Inflicted Injury Coverage

The insurance industry (especially the life insurance industry) has long held that, after a certain period of time (two years) passed, a death resulting from a self-inflicted injury would need to be paid.

The notion underpinning this timeframe was that a person with serious mental issues or financial duress would not be prepared to wait the two years to enrich the life of their beneficiary.

When we look at the situation before us now, we have people voluntarily avoiding the substance (the vaccine) which could prevent the loss of income; and or, life or the great financial cost of treatment.

I feel people need to take responsibility for their actions and not expect government intervention to support their unwise decisions.

(Image: Adobe Stock)

Jerry Cohen is a broker in the life, health and Medicare supplement insurance markets. His office is in Port Jefferson Station, New York.