In a blow to those fighting to protect religious freedoms, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld New York State’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers on . Following a six-to-three decision, Supreme Court Justices turned away emergency requests for religious exemptions to New York’s vaccine mandate, brought forth by several nurses and doctors. 

The decision follows a recent and alarming trend. So far, the Justices have allowed state vaccine mandates to stand in Indiana and Maine as well as New York, setting a precedent for future cases to come. In his dissenting argument, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that New York’s vaccine mandate was clearly aimed at people with religious objections, since those with medical objections are not required to comply. 

Many Americans share these medical professionals’ objections to the vaccine mandate and its infringement on individual religious freedoms. While this Supreme Court case focused on mandates in healthcare environments, employers across all industries nationwide are considering implementing workplace vaccine mandates. Some already have. Employees who choose not to comply with these mandates face the risk of higher out-of-pocket healthcare costs. 

Workers are already starting to pay the price for following their religious beliefs. In a recent move, the massive Kroger grocery store chain has eliminated some covid-era benefits for unvaccinated workers. What’s more, salaried employees who choose not to get the vaccine can expect to start seeing a monthly $50 surcharge on their healthcare plan accounts starting in 2022.  

To protect their religious freedom and personal choice while keeping healthcare costs affordable, a growing number of Americans are moving away from traditional medical insurance and opting instead for  health share plans. The potential savings are certainly a key attraction.  

By distributing medical expenses across members, healthshare plans can lower medical expenses by hundreds of dollars each month. The best health share plans will use other innovative tactics to provide affordable health insurance, including telemedicine.  

But perhaps one of the main reasons more people are choosing medical sharing companies is the priority they place on your freedom and individual rights. Health share programs allow you to make healthcare decisions for you and your family based on your beliefs and values, without being financially penalized. With health share plans, you can apply your monthly savings to offset added healthcare costs associated with vaccine mandates.  

If recent news around expanding vaccine mandates in your workplace and communities has you concerned, now is a great time to look into affordable healthcare from a  healthshare plan.