Anderson residents say vaccine incentive is a tough sell
ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — Both vaccinated and unvaccinated Anderson residents on Friday said a proposed vaccine incentive is worth a try, but probably won’t change many minds.
City council member Ty Bibbs this week proposed a vaccine incentive program to improve the city’s low vaccination rate.
Bibbs said he wants to pay people $100 if they get a COVID-19 vaccine and another $50 if they get a booster.
The money could come in the form of gift cards, debit cards or utility bill credits, among other things.
State health department data show as of Wednesday, 37% of the people living in Anderson’s primary zip code were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to 52-58% in the surrounding zip codes and 54% statewide.
“At this point, the deaths that are occurring, the vast majority of them shouldn’t be because those people could have been vaccinated already,” he said.
To date, there has been no statewide monetary vaccine incentive program in Indiana. A number of individual employers, such as Indiana University and Indianapolis Public Schools, have offered incentives such as bonuses and extra paid time off.
Vaccine incentive programs historically have been modestly successful. A 2015 CDC study concluded incentives improved vaccination rates by 8% on average.
Anderson residents Larry Van Ness and Darrell Baylor both are unvaccinated and said they wouldn’t get the shot even if the incentive program is enacted, but added they didn’t see anything wrong with someone else taking the offer.
Baylor’s son Paul, who recently received a COVID booster, said anything that could save human lives is worthwhile. He said the biggest hurdle for vaccination rates is misinformation, not incentives or lack thereof.
“I have to wonder if people who have risked their lives this far and have been so misled are going to be willing to do the $100 incentive,” he said.
Bibbs said his proposal is still in the conceptual stage. He said he’s currently working with the city attorney to see what the city is allowed to do.
The money would come from the American Rescue Plan Act. Bibbs said paying $150 to everyone in the city would require about $8.4 million. If the program were enacted and did not use that entire sum, he said the money could be reallocated elsewhere.
If anything gets filed, it would have to go through the city council’s formal hearing process. He said he doesn’t currently have a timetable for that.