Can insurance companies legally refuse medical coverage for individuals who have religious exemptions from mandated vaccine requirements?
Neither federal nor state law guarantees individuals will have health care coverage or insurance. Since the First Amendment only protects a person from discrimination by the government, a patient cannot use the Constitution to force private insurance companies to provide medical coverage. It is not clear why some healthcare and insurance providers are beginning to assume police powers of surveillance and punishment for non-compliance of vaccine mandates. There are no scientific studies that compare the health risks of vaccinated patients to non-vaccinated patients. The justification for denying medical services to non-vaccinated patients, therefore, may be based on flawed assumptions about vaccination. It is also possible that conflicts of interest and/or pressure from industry groups play a role in this discriminatory policy.
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