Patients, even those with insurance, may take a wait-and-see approach to seeking COVID-19 testing or treatment because of concerns over medical bills, according to The New York Times.
Five things to know:
1. While Congress passed legislation to ensure cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing is covered, the same has not been done for treatment of the disease.
2. Health plans are likely to view COVID-19 treatment like care for any other illness.
3. It's possible patients could face large out-of-pocket costs if they seek care for what they think is COVID-19, but is actually the seasonal flu. Patients could also face large out-of-pocket bills if they go to providers who are not in their health plan's network, or undergo unrelated tests.
4. Sabrina Corlette, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, told The New York Times, "The problem is we have reams and reams of evidence that if people know they face hundreds or thousands of dollars in bills, they'll hesitate, they'll wait and see."
5. It's difficult to estimate what out-of-pocket costs patients could face for seeking treatment for COVID-19. According to one estimate from the Kaiser Family Foundation, patients could face more than $1,300 in out-of-pocket costs.
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