Employee Benefits Market Check Survey: Vaccines and Proposed Legislation

As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to have an impact on business, employers and Congress continue to mull different strategies to combat the effects. Legislators are debating additional relief bills that would have impact on employee benefit programs by attempting to expand access to health care coverage. Further, as vaccines start to become available, employers are contemplating how they will allow employees to return to the office.

We conducted a poll during a webcast in February 2021 to see what employers are thinking about requiring proof of vaccination from their employees and how they feel about proposed federal legislative activity. The results are in the charts below.

*Based on 252 employer respondents. February 18, 2021

Key Findings

While employers are certainly allowed to mandate vaccinations before allowing a return to the worksite, there are several considerations to be reviewed including exceptions for those with disabilities, religious beliefs, a business need, any collective bargaining issues, state laws, and more. Consulting with counsel is always advised before putting a mandate into effect. For those employers who won’t require proof of vaccination, many are studying ways to encourage workers to receive the vaccine including financial incentives, additional time off, or bringing the vaccine on-site when the appropriate time comes.

It is important to note that not every health care provision being debated by Congress will directly impact employer benefit plans, such as the ACA marketplace subsidies, but some could have an indirect impact.

Should you have any questions regarding this information, please contact your local Assurex Global adviser.

ACA – Affordable Care Act
COBRA – Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
DCAP – Dependent Care Assistance Plans