People’ COVID payments are set to go up

By On Sep 3, 2021

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay reporter

FRIDAY, September 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) – COVID-19 treatment is likely to get more expensive for Americans as insurers’ temporary waivers on treatment-related costs expire.

At the start of the pandemic, patients did not have normal co-payments or deductibles for emergency rooms or hospital stays for COVID-19, and most tests were also free, the New York Times reported.

With the pandemic continuing to rage across the country, federal law still requires insurers to cover tests for free to patients if they have a medical reason for getting treatment, such as:

However, more of the tests that Americans are now seeking are for surveillance and not considered a medical cause, the Times reported.

For example, federal regulations on free coronavirus tests provide for exemptions for routine workplace and school tests.

Some patients have already received $ 200 bills for routine screenings, according to patient records submitted to a Times project tracking the costs of COVID-19 testing and treatment.

“However, insurers are faced with the question of whether the cost of COVID treatment should be borne by everyone, or just by those who have chosen not to have a vaccine,” said Cynthia Cox, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, who has studied how insurers are doing treat the COVID-19 treatment, the Times said.

Some of the highest bills are likely to face COVID patients in need of comprehensive hospital care, and most of those patients are now unvaccinated. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 72% of major health insurers no longer make COVID-19 treatment free for patients.

Unvaccinated individuals could also face other increased costs. Delta Air Lines and several other companies plan to charge unvaccinated workers higher insurance rates, suggesting high hospital costs for COVID-19, the Times reported.

Research shows that the average COVID-19 hospital stay costs around $ 40,000, while a longer stay that includes time in intensive care or an ambulance transfer can cost many times that.

More information

Visit the US Health Resources and Services Administration to learn more about the cost of COVID treatment and testing assistance.

SOURCE: The New York Times

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