Image Credit: BeckersHospitalReview.com 
Employees of the Ochsner Health Center in Louisiana were informed Thursday that they would need to pay a monthly fee if their spouse has not been vaccinated.
In a letter sent to hospital workers, Ochsner Health, the largest hospital network in the state, warned employees that spouses listed as dependents on their insurance benefits would have to be vaccinated, or a $100 “Spousal COVID Vaccine Fee” would be deducted per pay period.
“New in 2022: Ochsner is implementing a Spousal COVID VAccine Fee as part of its 2022 medical plan premiums,” the letter to employees states.
“This means, if a spouse/domestic partner is covered by one of our medical plans in 2022 and unvaccinated against COVID-19, a $100 per-pay-period fee will apply.”
The fee could mean up to a $2,400 yearly deduction from workers’ paychecks, reports NOLA.com.
According to the letter, there’s currently no fee for unvaccinated children (12 and older) listed on health plans.
BREAKING: #OchsnerHealth in LA is now mandating vaccines for spouses of employees.
If your spouse is on your insurance and does not get the jab, they will be imposing a $100 per-pay-period fee.
What started as a $100 incentive to get the jab has now turned into a recurring tax. pic.twitter.com/RBPGKmQj1I
— Jason Bailey (@iamjasonbailey) September 30, 2021
“At this time, our focus is only on spouses/domestic partners covered by our medical plans.”
In a statement, Ochsner Health president and CEO Warner Thomas attempted to justify the fees by claiming they make sense when compared to the average cost of Covid treatment.
“The reality is the cost of treating COVID-19, particularly for patients requiring intensive inpatient care, is expensive, and we spent more than $9 million on COVID care for those who are covered on our health plans over the last year,” Thomas said in an emailed statement obtained by NOLA.com.
“This is not a mandate as non-employed spouses and domestic partners can choose to select a health plan outside of Ochsner Health offerings,” Thomas also claimed. “As with our employee vaccination policy, spouses and domestic partners with medical and religious objections will be able to file exemption requests.”
People on Twitter, meanwhile, weren’t too enthusiastic about the new requirement, which many correctly perceived as an affront to individual bodily autonomy.
Damn we really losing our rights to our health and body little by little. This is insane
— Crazy Trades (@TheOldCrazyy) September 30, 2021
This can’t be legal
— Terpslax (@terpslax1991) October 1, 2021
Anyone who thinks this stops with covid is insane. When you’re employer is asking about your BMI, sexual history, abortions and who knows what else don’t come complaining to your unvaxxed friends and family your now watching turn into second class citizens. We tried to tell ya!
— Children of the lie (@children_otl) October 1, 2021
The fee is merely the latest attempt by the establishment to coerce the American workforce into taking the experimental gene therapy known as the Covid-19 vaccine.
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