Red Tape, Legal Risk Douse Fervor for Surcharges on Unvaccinated

Employers across the country are asking whether they can copy a major airline’s plan to charge unvaccinated workers higher health-care premiums, but it may be more trouble than it’s worth, legal observers said.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said last week that employees in the company’s health plan who remain unvaccinated as of Nov. 1 will have to pay a $200 monthly surcharge. The fee is a way to pressure workers to get vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus without making inoculation a condition of employment. It’s a policy change, however, that comes with a multitude of regulatory requirements and can carry ...