Health Insurance Premiums to skyrocket?

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Jury awards $12M to woman fired for refusing COVID vax. Hundreds of similar suits pending. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-awards-12m-woman-fired-185642027.html)

A longtime employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan who was fired after refusing for religious reasons to get the COVID-19 vaccine has been awarded more than $12 million by a federal jury.

The jury in Detroit returned the verdict Friday afternoon, finding that Blue Cross discriminated against Lisa Domski, of Wyandotte, who is Catholic, by denying her an exemption to its companywide vaccine mandate, an exemption she had sought based on her "sincerely held religious belief."

Denying her that exemption, known as an accommodation, was a violation of federal and state law, the jury found. They awarded Domski a total of $12.69 million, or $315,000 for back pay, $1.375 million for forgone future wages, $1 million for noneconomic damages and $10 million in punitive damages

Her attorney, Jon Marko of Marko Law in Detroit, said Domski's lawsuit against Blue Cross was the first of its kind to go to trial in Michigan involving an employer denying a religious accommodation to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In a similar case last month in San Franciso, a federal jury awarded more than $1 million each to six Bay Area Rapid Transit agency workers who also didn't get the vaccine for religious reasons.

Will the verdict stand?

[Caymus]

Jury awards $12M to woman fired for refusing COVID vax. Hundreds of similar suits pending. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-awards-12m-woman-fired-185642027.html)

BREAKING: Woman fired for refusing COVID ‘vaccine’ wins record $12 million from employer.

Lisa Domski, who worked at the insurance company Blue Cross Blue as an IT specialist for over three decades, was fired from her position for refusing to take the jab, which has since been proven to have been neither safe nor effective.

After suing the company for religious discrimination against her Catholic faith, Domski was awarded significant damages by a federal jury in Detroit.

The ruling included $10 million in punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, as well as $1.7 million in lost wages and $1 million in noneconomic damages.


Will the verdict stand?

That is probably less than the salary of the CEO of Michigan Blue Cross.

[Stu from NYC]

Jury awards $12M to woman fired for refusing COVID vax. Hundreds of similar suits pending. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-awards-12m-woman-fired-185642027.html)

BREAKING: Woman fired for refusing COVID ‘vaccine’ wins record $12 million from employer.

Lisa Domski, who worked at the insurance company Blue Cross Blue as an IT specialist for over three decades, was fired from her position for refusing to take the jab, which has since been proven to have been neither safe nor effective.

After suing the company for religious discrimination against her Catholic faith, Domski was awarded significant damages by a federal jury in Detroit.

The ruling included $10 million in punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, as well as $1.7 million in lost wages and $1 million in noneconomic damages.


Will the verdict stand?

I would hope not

[tophcfa]

Jury awards $12M to woman fired for refusing COVID vax. Hundreds of similar suits pending. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-awards-12m-woman-fired-185642027.html)

BREAKING: Woman fired for refusing COVID ‘vaccine’ wins record $12 million from employer.

Lisa Domski, who worked at the insurance company Blue Cross Blue as an IT specialist for over three decades, was fired from her position for refusing to take the jab, which has since been proven to have been neither safe nor effective.
Two things. I wasn’t aware that the Covid vaccine has been proven to be neither safe nor effective? By what reputable source? As far as health insurance premiums, our annual renewal premium is up 7%. Well above reported inflation and certainly too high to justify cutting the Fed Funds rate.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

I wasn’t aware that the Covid vaccine has been proven to be neither safe nor effective?

I am assuming that the person is using 100% for both the safetiness and effectiveness (absolutes) and letting the bias slip. I copied a twitter post and not from the article, my mistake, going back to correct it.

[Pugchief]

Two things. I wasn’t aware that the Covid vaccine has been proven to be neither safe nor effective? By what reputable source? As far as health insurance premiums, our annual renewal premium is up 7%. Well above reported inflation and certainly too high to justify cutting the Fed Funds rate.

The Covid vax has not been proven to be unsafe or ineffective, but it has neither been proven to be safe (there hasn't been enough testing and adverse effects are being suppressed), and it sure as heck doesn't prevent you from getting or transmitting the virus so in my opinion it is not effective.

Regardless, medical insurance premiums are not tied to "inflation". Medical inflation has been way higher than the CPI for years and the premiums have to rise accordingly so the insurers can still remain profitable. Part of this is too much regulation from the Feds. Part of it is the effect the ACA (aka Obamacare) on the health industry and the health insurance industry. Part of this is administrative bloat in corporate insurance. Part of this is tort (if you think this is bad now, wait until the underqualified doctors licensed under the guise of DEI start practicing en masse).

If you're on Medicare, this affects you much less than someone trying to purchase a policy on the exchange or someone getting employer group coverage that they have to pay for out of pocket.

[blueash]

Can one of you Catholics explain to me where in the catechism or the teachings it says not to get vaccines? Did the pope get Covid vaccines? (hint yes) So how does she get away with claimed a religious belief?

I hope this gets overturned. Had she been a Christian Scientist (refuse all medical care) then maybe she would have a case. What if all the people in her office had a sincere held belief that their work environment should be safe from preventable diseases?

Pope Francis suggested Monday that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus was a "moral obligation" and denounced how people had been swayed by "baseless information" to refuse one of the most effective measures to save lives.

[blueash]

The Covid vax has not been proven to be unsafe or ineffective, but it has neither been proven to be safe (there hasn't been enough testing and adverse effects are being suppressed), and it sure as heck doesn't prevent you from getting or transmitting the virus so in my opinion it is not effective.



You completely fail to understand how medicine and the FDA define safe and effective. To be effective does NOT mean 100% effective, it means more effective than doing nothing. Wearing a bike helmet is effective even though bike riders die wearing helmets. Cancer drugs are effective even though the drug itself can kill you. The goal of the Covid vaccines, pushed by Trump's Operation Warp Speed, was to slow the transmission of the virus and lessen the risk of hospitalization and death. And the vaccine does all of that.

As to how much testing and we don't know... Hundreds of millions of doses have been given just in the US, far more than any other vaccine so there is greatly more data on risk vs benefit than any other vaccine ever licensed, but that is not good enough for some people apparently.

You certainly recall how we were warned that if we got the vaccine we would all be dead in a year or two, or become magnetic (https://www.cleveland.com/open/2023/04/an-ohio-doctor-said-coronavirus-vaccines-make-you-magnetic-the-state-wants-to-pull-her-license.html), or Bill Gates would control our thoughts or whatever (https://fortune.com/2022/05/14/bill-gates-says-tragic-if-microchip-conspiracy-theory-prevents-people-from-getting-the-covid-vaccine/). It never ends.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Can one of you Catholics explain to me where in the catechism or the teachings it says not to get vaccines? Did the pope get Covid vaccines? (hint yes) So how does she get away with claimed a religious belief?

Just a moment... (https://www.modernhealthcare.com/legal/blue-cross-blue-shield-michigan-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-lawsuit)

has an analysis, but it is behind a paywall. The company did have a religious exemption policy, but Catholicism and the Pope recommending getting the vaccine denying the request, which was countered with a shoddily written corporate policy by the plaintiff. Enough for a jury to want to blame a corporation as a populist view.

So we are getting closer to the situation where jurors will vote for punishments if they can be part of the same class/status as the plaintiff(s), not to be confused with a class action lawsuit. This becomes dangerous as a jury of your peers in financial punishment cases can snowball to bankrupt a company.

So yes, this precedent may just really bankrupt the private insurance / reinsurance industry if the awards continue like this. . be careful what you wish for. .

One more year of BCBS for us and then over to Medicare

[Pugchief]

What if all the people in her office had a sincere held belief that their work environment should be safe from preventable diseases?

How was Covid "preventable"? Certainly not by taking the vaccine. If you go to public places (e.g., work) you run the risk of catching any virus that's going around. So I don't understand your argument here.

[Pugchief]

You completely fail to understand how medicine and the FDA define safe and effective. To be effective does NOT mean 100% effective, it means more effective than doing nothing. Wearing a bike helmet is effective even though bike riders die wearing helmets. Cancer drugs are effective even though the drug itself can kill you. The goal of the Covid vaccines, pushed by Trump's Operation Warp Speed, was to slow the transmission of the virus and lessen the risk of hospitalization and death. And the vaccine does all of that.



No, it doesn't. It may reduce the risk of hospitalization or death, but it most definitely does not slow the transmission.

[Pugchief]

As to how much testing and we don't know... Hundreds of millions of doses have been given just in the US, far more than any other vaccine so there is greatly more data on risk vs benefit than any other vaccine ever licensed, but that is not good enough for some people apparently.



It may be good enough for some people, but others would prefer complete proper testing as has been done for other vaccines. That's hardly an unreasonable position to take.

[Pugchief]

You certainly recall how we were warned that if we got the vaccine we would all be dead in a year or two, or become magnetic (https://www.cleveland.com/open/2023/04/an-ohio-doctor-said-coronavirus-vaccines-make-you-magnetic-the-state-wants-to-pull-her-license.html), or Bill Gates would control our thoughts or whatever (https://fortune.com/2022/05/14/bill-gates-says-tragic-if-microchip-conspiracy-theory-prevents-people-from-getting-the-covid-vaccine/). It never ends.

Just because there are propagandists spewing crazy doesn't change the fact that the public was deceived and at times outright lied to on so many facets related to the pandemic. There were fine propagandists on both sides. LOL

[Pugchief]

So we are getting closer to the situation where jurors will vote for punishments if they can be part of the same class/status as the plaintiff(s), not to be confused with a class action lawsuit. This becomes dangerous as a jury of your peers in financial punishment cases can snowball to bankrupt a company.

So yes, this precedent may just really bankrupt the private insurance / reinsurance industry if the awards continue like this. . be careful what you wish for. .

One more year of BCBS for us and then over to Medicare

Outlandish jury verdicts are nothing new. Even when the jurists have nothing to gain. This is a function of inadequate tort reform more than anything else.

Congrats, you will definitely save a fortune when Medicare kicks in. Self funded health insurance premiums for folks between 60-65 are outrageous.

[blueash]

It may be good enough for some people, but others would prefer complete proper testing as has been done for other vaccines. That's hardly an unreasonable position to take.

Well Pugchief, would you be so kind as to read, summarize, and link to those other vaccines that had the kind of testing you have deemed "complete proper testing?" Of course not because when you do that reading and if possible understanding you will perhaps discover that the quantity and quality of the testing done on the Covid vaccines both pre and post marketing was higher than for any other vaccine ever introduced.

[JMintzer]

That is probably less than the salary of the CEO of Michigan Blue Cross.

Irrelevant...

There is ONE CEO. How many of these insane "punitive" judgments will there be?

[Pugchief]

Well Pugchief, would you be so kind as to read, summarize, and link to those other vaccines that had the kind of testing you have deemed "complete proper testing?" Of course not because when you do that reading and if possible understanding you will perhaps discover that the quantity and quality of the testing done on the Covid vaccines both pre and post marketing was higher than for any other vaccine ever introduced.

Here is the CDC's How Vaccines are Developed and Approved for Use (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/how-developed-approved.html).

A quote from that page:
Vaccine development often takes 10-15 years of laboratory research.

Did the Covid vax follow that standard? If not, how do you justify your claim that "the quantity and quality of the testing done on the Covid vaccines both pre and post marketing was higher than for any other vaccine ever introduced"?

[Ele201]

Can one of you Catholics explain to me where in the catechism or the teachings it says not to get vaccines? Did the pope get Covid vaccines? (hint yes) So how does she get away with claimed a religious belief?

I hope this gets overturned. Had she been a Christian Scientist (refuse all medical care) then maybe she would have a case. What if all the people in her office had a sincere held belief that their work environment should be safe from preventable diseases?
Good point. While reading the OP’s post, I thought, well I’m a Catholic, and I got vaxxed. There’s nothing I’ve seen or heard urging people not to get vaccinated in Catholicism.

[JakeW]

Good for her, now reinstate those military that resigned because of this.

[Rocksnap]

Can one of you Catholics explain to me where in the catechism or the teachings it says not to get vaccines? Did the pope get Covid vaccines? (hint yes) So how does she get away with claimed a religious belief?

I hope this gets overturned. Had she been a Christian Scientist (refuse all medical care) then maybe she would have a case. What if all the people in her office had a sincere held belief that their work environment should be safe from preventable diseases?

Weird how so many are now getting their jobs reinstated from refusing the jab. Military included.
How anyone can say the jab was safe and effective is beyond me. By definition, no one could say that since it was/is safe and effective. As new technology, and avoiding the usual years of research to bring a new drug to the market, it was strictly a unproven & experimental vaccine. As such, anyone who injected it into others IMO committed malpractice.
And now we have all sorts of national data bases showing indeed the jab caused a plethora of harmful effects. If anyone cares to do their research it’s all out there.
My humble opinion thinks so many should be held accountable for their actions in premoting this wild science experiment on mankind.
I would happily sit down with anyone who would like to be educated on this matter. This site is not the place to do so. Unfortunately.

[Rocksnap]

Well Pugchief, would you be so kind as to read, summarize, and link to those other vaccines that had the kind of testing you have deemed "complete proper testing?" Of course not because when you do that reading and if possible understanding you will perhaps discover that the quantity and quality of the testing done on the Covid vaccines both pre and post marketing was higher than for any other vaccine ever introduced.

Thanks for the disinformation.

[Ignatz]

Not sure if I agree with the amount of the award, but I’m glad these folks are now winning in court.

I came close to having to decide between losing my job over my refusing to let them jab me.

Glad to see positive things for those who made the same decision.

[Sparky1959]

You completely fail to understand how medicine and the FDA define safe and effective. To be effective does NOT mean 100% effective, it means more effective than doing nothing. Wearing a bike helmet is effective even though bike riders die wearing helmets. Cancer drugs are effective even though the drug itself can kill you. The goal of the Covid vaccines, pushed by Trump's Operation Warp Speed, was to slow the transmission of the virus and lessen the risk of hospitalization and death. And the vaccine does all of that.

As to how much testing and we don't know... Hundreds of millions of doses have been given just in the US, far more than any other vaccine so there is greatly more data on risk vs benefit than any other vaccine ever licensed, but that is not good enough for some people apparently.

You certainly recall how we were warned that if we got the vaccine we would all be dead in a year or two, or become magnetic (https://www.cleveland.com/open/2023/04/an-ohio-doctor-said-coronavirus-vaccines-make-you-magnetic-the-state-wants-to-pull-her-license.html), or Bill Gates would control our thoughts or whatever (https://fortune.com/2022/05/14/bill-gates-says-tragic-if-microchip-conspiracy-theory-prevents-people-from-getting-the-covid-vaccine/). It never ends.

This was just one of many GOV bad decision w/mandating the VAC to begin with then falsely claiming “emergency use” to support their bigger plan.

The only companies protected are the pharmaceutical company’s putting the ownership back on the employer. This is huge. There are millions of people impacted that lost their jobs in the healthcare field and military, any company receiving Gov funds.
Military sued and won, they were awarded their jobs back without back pay.

More importantly there were other options available that actually worked which were intentionally taken off the market during the plandemic by the current administration so they can meet their VAC quota of 85 million.

Now that this case is on record we’ll be seeing a lot more companies being forced to payout based the GOV mandate. This will have a trickle down effect for future cases.

[asianthree]

Have to ask Did any of you Work in a care facility during Covid? Options are one thing experience another.

Those who worked during Covid, and prior to vaccine at entrance of facility given one procedure mask and temp check. You then worked 12-24 hour days exposed to only Covid. Your N mask and PPE was issued once stored in your locker, and used over and over for sometimes weeks, due to zero supply.

Testing on employees was very rare, unless you basically stopped functioning, and fell to the floor in exhaustion, couldn’t work.

Then this new vaccine show up, and Many who endured under unbelievable work environments, without vaccines or testing, were given options Vaccine Up or be fired.

Many in and around Detroit chose no vaccine, after all What didn’t Kill us prior wasn’t going to change our minds that suddenly a vaccine was going to make our days any better.

In our system of 7 facilities 67 chose to say No, after large percentage were bullied with threats of their jobs. I was one but not because of religious reasons, or those who choose to control what enters their body, but as a person with history of severe reactions to vaccines.

I chose to resign, with the threat that my retirement would be compromised, and it was, if I didn’t Vaccine up. I was one of 43 whose only choice was to leave.

Then reality hit the healthcare industry, many experienced (or older) chose to walk away leaving many facilities without enough staff. Which continues today.

So should this win stand…..YES, even if she was not in direct contact with patients. This will it be dragged through the courts for so many years the employee will probably never see a dime.

[CybrSage]

The Christian exemption request is based on the doctrine of the liberty of conscience. It is mainly derived from the prohibition of doing something you think is wrong.
This was first expressed back in 1777 for exemptions to the smallpox vaccine.

[Janie123]

Can one of you Catholics explain to me where in the catechism or the teachings it says not to get vaccines? Did the pope get Covid vaccines? (hint yes) So how does she get away with claimed a religious belief?

I hope this gets overturned. Had she been a Christian Scientist (refuse all medical care) then maybe she would have a case. What if all the people in her office had a sincere held belief that their work environment should be safe from preventable diseases?
The COVID vaccine is produced with aborted fetus cells. That’s probably the reason…

[huge-pigeons]

$11 million is damages that never should have been awarded. This is why lawyers are considered to be crooks.
There is no punitive damages. The award already pays for lost pay, and future pay. They didn’t say how much the lawyers got, maybe it was part of that 11 million or maybe it was millions on top of this.

My question would be this: why sue the employer when the government placed the mandate on all employers over X number of employees that all employees had to be vaccinated.

Why do you think our car insurance is so high? Look at all the ads on tv from the ambulance chasers, people gloating they received $1million for a fender bender. This is why lawyers were not allowed to advertise on tv decade ago. Now you have people cussing accidents because these ambulance chasers will get them money.

[mraines]

Jury awards $12M to woman fired for refusing COVID vax. Hundreds of similar suits pending. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-awards-12m-woman-fired-185642027.html)

A longtime employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan who was fired after refusing for religious reasons to get the COVID-19 vaccine has been awarded more than $12 million by a federal jury.

The jury in Detroit returned the verdict Friday afternoon, finding that Blue Cross discriminated against Lisa Domski, of Wyandotte, who is Catholic, by denying her an exemption to its companywide vaccine mandate, an exemption she had sought based on her "sincerely held religious belief."

Denying her that exemption, known as an accommodation, was a violation of federal and state law, the jury found. They awarded Domski a total of $12.69 million, or $315,000 for back pay, $1.375 million for forgone future wages, $1 million for noneconomic damages and $10 million in punitive damages

Her attorney, Jon Marko of Marko Law in Detroit, said Domski's lawsuit against Blue Cross was the first of its kind to go to trial in Michigan involving an employer denying a religious accommodation to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In a similar case last month in San Franciso, a federal jury awarded more than $1 million each to six Bay Area Rapid Transit agency workers who also didn't get the vaccine for religious reasons.

Will the verdict stand?
I'm sure that will not be a problem if there is another pandemic. Those in charge will no longer mandate mask wearing. Or vaccines, or clean air, or pure water, etc.

[mraines]

You completely fail to understand how medicine and the FDA define safe and effective. To be effective does NOT mean 100% effective, it means more effective than doing nothing. Wearing a bike helmet is effective even though bike riders die wearing helmets. Cancer drugs are effective even though the drug itself can kill you. The goal of the Covid vaccines, pushed by Trump's Operation Warp Speed, was to slow the transmission of the virus and lessen the risk of hospitalization and death. And the vaccine does all of that.

As to how much testing and we don't know... Hundreds of millions of doses have been given just in the US, far more than any other vaccine so there is greatly more data on risk vs benefit than any other vaccine ever licensed, but that is not good enough for some people apparently.

You certainly recall how we were warned that if we got the vaccine we would all be dead in a year or two, or become magnetic (https://www.cleveland.com/open/2023/04/an-ohio-doctor-said-coronavirus-vaccines-make-you-magnetic-the-state-wants-to-pull-her-license.html), or Bill Gates would control our thoughts or whatever (https://fortune.com/2022/05/14/bill-gates-says-tragic-if-microchip-conspiracy-theory-prevents-people-from-getting-the-covid-vaccine/). It never ends.

When they do away with the FDA, EPA etc. we won't have to worry, will we?

[opinionist]

Data from the CDC VAERS system proves that the vaccine was not safe.
I have not seen anywhere that it has been effective.

Home Page - OpenVAERS (https://www.openvaers.com/)

[Pugchief]

When they do away with the FDA, EPA etc. we won't have to worry, will we?

Let's see...What does the FDA and EPA have to do with this topic? Literally zero.

If your point was that the CDC and other 3 letter agencies that actually were involved with this topic somehow saved us with all the misinfo, disinfo, and outright lies, then you weren't paying any attention at the time. They have lost all credibility by proving themselves unworthy of public trust.

[NotGolfer]

EVERYONE I know who got the vaxx as well as booster(s) also got the virus they were "supposed" to keep from them. I've read over and over where after some folks got these---there were other side-effects related to them. BUT the fear and all that accompanied that...over-shadowed everything else. People still are wearing the masks---but they've also been reputed not to work. Mandating these types of things (in my view) was and is wrong. You can argue all you want, but last I knew our country is based on free-choice.

[waterflower]

Do no harm. This experiment has cause death and permanent injury. Not to all, but; many. It should of been stopped after the 1st person died. The sick care industry is a for profit industry. This should not be allowed.