On Thursday, President Joe Biden recommended that states offer $100 awards to newly vaccinated individuals. A statement from the administration read: “The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provided states, territories, and localities resources that can be used to offer incentives to increase vaccination rates, and today, the President will call on every state, territory, and local government to use this ARP funding to provide $100 to anyone who gets vaccinated.”
In the U.S., vaccination rates have come to a stall. The delta variant is proving to be increasingly transmissible as cases and hospitalizations skyrocket across the country – putting areas with low vaccination rates at the most risk.
Many states are already offering incentives. New York, California, and Ohio are a few of the states that tried offering vaccine lotteries, where those who got their vaccines had the chance to win millions. In some cases, cash incentives are working. UCLA research showed that one third of unvaccinated Americans would be willing to get their vaccine for monetary reward.
In some cases, however, lotteries or cash prizes have not impacted vaccination rates. Arkansas and Ohio both offered financial incentives but saw little-to-no improvement in vaccination rates.
The administration is hopeful that the incentives would target Americans who are on the fence about getting their vaccines. A statement from the Department of Treasury said: “$100 payments for every newly vaccinated American, as an extra incentive to boost vaccination rates, protect communities, and save lives.”
