Last week President Joe Biden encouraged states and local governments to up the ante — really! — for getting a COVID-19 vaccination. The Biden administration is recommending paying people $100 for getting the shot.

That’s right, a Benjamin. A hondo. A C-note, or whatever slang term you want to use.

States have already been offering incentives. In Minnesota you could get free Twins tickets or State Fair tickets, or state park sticker, or fishing licenses, California has given away $116.5 million in gift cards and prizes, the biggest payout pot in the country so far. But still, the nation is lagging behind in the push to get 70% of Americans vaccinated, a level that will help herd immunity kick in.

We know there are many people who are afraid of needles, who don’t trust the government, who don’t trust scientists and doctors, who would rather believe some Facebook post than a scientific study. But the statistics are clear. States with high vaccination rates have fewer new cases of COVID than states where the vaccination rate is low.

For some people, $100 may be far too low a figure to entice them to get a shot. But for others, it may be just what the doctor ordered.