KFF examined HHS data of confirmed adult COVID-19 hospitalizations and CDC data of COVID-19 hospitalizations of vaccinated people. The average cost of a COVID-19 hospitalization is about $20,000, according to KFF.
The estimated number of preventable hospitalizations of people not vaccinated against COVID-19 from June-November 2021 and the cost each month, according to KFF:
- June: 35,000 hospitalizations for $700 million
- July: 73,000 hospitalizations for $1.5 billion
- August: 200,000 hospitalizations for $4 billion
- September: 175,000 hospitalizations for $3.5 billion
- October: 109,000 hospitalizations for $2.2 billion
- November: 100,000 hospitalizations for $2 billion
“The monetary cost of treating unvaccinated people for COVID-19 is borne not only by patients but also by society more broadly, including taxpayer-funded public programs and private insurance premiums paid by workers, businesses and individual purchasers,” KFF said.
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