COVID-19 testing is still not widely available to most patients. If patients see their physician to check if they have COVID-19, they will likely face several other tests to see if their symptoms are caused by other respiratory disease like influenza before they are eligible for a COVID-19 test.
In one story shared with NPR, a graduate student at West Virginia University in Morgantown was charged $2,121 for a visit and testing related to COVID-19 symptoms. The student ultimately tested positive for influenza B. Her insurance initially paid for $1,584.54 of the services, leaving the student on the hook for copay and other cost-sharing. Eventually the insurer covered all the claims after receiving information that the services were related to COVID-19 testing.
Current guidelines only require insurers to cover an appointment if a physician orders and administers a COVID-19 test. Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., told NPR if patients present with COVID-19 symptoms but receive other tests to rule it out, they could be responsible for those charges.
Read the full article here.
More articles on healthcare finance:
Mayo Clinic furloughs, cuts hours of 30,000 employees to help offset $3B in pandemic losses
CMS suspends Advance Payment Program
CHS to cease inpatient care at 2 Florida hospitals, sell them to HCA
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
