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Opinion | The wave of young patients: charging the unvaccinated with increased health insurance Israel today

2021-09-28T23:15:53.595Z


Most patients in the fourth wave are unvaccinated young people • Those who choose not to be vaccinated must understand the meaning of their actions • They can be charged a higher fee for health insurance, as an element of extreme sports in medical insurance for travelers abroad


If at the beginning of the current wave, the fourth in number, most of the serious patients were adults with background diseases, who were vaccinated and the levels of antibodies in their blood dropped - then today they are mostly unvaccinated young people.

At Sheba Medical Center alone, eight corona patients were hospitalized in intensive care - all of them unvaccinated, and the youngest of them was 32. Two of these patients are connected to a heart-lung machine (ACMO).

Two other patients who recovered from corona are still connected to Acmo after their lungs were destroyed following the disease.

The treatment of corona patients in a critical condition, and especially those connected to Acme, is done by the most experienced medical staffs.

Even before the outbreak of the corona, the public health system suffered from a shortage of intensive care teams.

The problem worsened during the corona in light of the need for these staffs, and hospitals are forced to refer experienced staff for the care of corona patients - more than once at the expense of the elderly patients in the inpatient wards. 

The treatment of corona patients and patients in general is done according to medical considerations only regardless of whether a person has been vaccinated.

But those who choose not to get vaccinated must understand the significance of his actions, as he endangers his health, the health of his family and the environment, and adds to the burden on the medical staff.

The refusal to be vaccinated further in recent days is also the refusal of some unvaccinated corona patients to receive the drug "Regeneron", which is given to patients in a mild condition whose condition may deteriorate and need hospitalization.

We have learned that the vaccine is the most effective tool for lowering the rate of infection, infection, severe morbidity in the corona, and as a derivative - also the congestion in hospitals.

Along with advocacy and persuasion efforts, it is time to take off the gloves in dealing with those who can and choose not to get vaccinated.

It is possible, for example, to charge the non-vaccinated with a higher payment of state health insurance premiums.

This insurance is fundamentally social and is based on the principles of justice, equality and mutual aid.

The insurance payment is determined according to the income and grants the right to the medical services required regardless of the actual payment.

Those who choose not to get vaccinated prefer their personal autonomy over social solidarity.

Therefore, there is justification for raising the health insurance premiums without vaccinators, in a similar way as is done with health insurance for travelers abroad that includes an element of extreme sports.

The non-vaccinated are divided into two groups: one ideological, which does not let the scientific facts change its mind;

And the other of people who are hesitant or afraid to get vaccinated.

The latter feed on false information disseminated on social media, and as US President Joe Biden said, "false information kills." Freedom of expression is a fundamental right that should not be violated. Poor human life, legal action must be taken against them.

With the imminent return to routine and the continuous opening of the school year, we fear a rise in infections in Corona.

Without a corresponding increase in the rate of vaccinators, we may need additional restrictions that will cause enormous damage to the economy and society, and most importantly - will unjustly harm those who acted responsibly and were vaccinated.

The non-vaccinated should give a shoulder and get vaccinated as soon as possible, both to maintain their health and out of mutual guarantee.

Only then can we overcome the corona.

The author is a Deputy Director of Sheba Medical Center, a member of Corona's Cabinet of Experts and former Director General of the Ministry of Health.

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2021-09-28

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