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Pence Announces New Health Insurance Agreements to Cover Coronavirus Testing, Waive Co-Pays


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Trump is working overtime to protect the nation and explore all options possible to combat the coronavirus. 

Today, the adminsitration announced that agreements have been made with some of the largest health insurance companies in the nation.

According to Vice President Pence, a number of insurance agencies have agreed to cover coronavirus testing and waive co-pay fees,.

The announcement comes after CEOs of these insurance agencies met with White House officials and discussed possible solutions for the virus.

See the Pence’s big announcement below:

As many people are understandably worried about the virus, this announcement should provide relief that they will be taken care of medically and financially should they contract the coronavirus. 

Insurance companies represented at the meeting include Humana, United Health, Cigna, Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Anthem, and many more!

The National Review also reports that insurance companies have promised no surprise bills:

Pence made the remarks alongside President Trump at a meeting with executives of major health insurance companies, adding that the administration has also spoken with pharmaceutical leaders, those who run nursing homes, commercial labs, and airlines about addressing the epidemic.

“All the insurance companies here either today or before today have agreed to waive all co-pays on coronavirus testing and extend coverage for coronavirus treatment in all of their benefit plans,” Pence said.

“We’re bringing all of the businesses of the country to bear to protect the health of the American people,” the vice president said.

Telemedicine will also be covered so that seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to the virus, will “not feel it necessary to go to a hospital or go to their doctor” and risk infection. Medicare and Medicaid will cover coronavirus testing and treatment as well.

“We want people to get tested,” Pence said, adding that over a million coronavirus tests are out now and more than four million more will go out this week.

The major health insurance companies have also promised no “surprise billing” and will also work with the administration to convey information on how to prevent the spread of the virus, Pence said.

While Democrats and the media are using their time to focus on weaponizing the coronavirus, Trump and his administration are strategically coordinating a strong response!

Last week, the administration announced that federal programs like Medicare would also cover coronavirus testing.

Now, thanks to the Trump administration, insurance companies have pledged to include no-costs coronavirus tests as part of their coverage.

Time has more details on how the Trump administration worked with health insurers to protect Americans:

CEOs of major health insurance companies such as UnitedHealth, Anthem, and Humana, along with the leaders of industry trade groups like the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, met with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to underscore commitments that the companies have been announcing individually in recent days.

Pence said the industry representatives agreed that coronavirus tests would be covered at no cost to patients, and to cover telemedicine related to the outbreak. The companies pledged no surprise billing in connection with coronavirus.

“We want the American people to know that they are covered through private insurance, they are covered through Medicare, Medicaid, and there will be no surprise billing,” Pence said.

Trump said, “I think tremendous progress is being made.” Insurers, he added, are “willing to do things for the people and their customers … that normally I don’t think they’d be doing.”

While people who suspect they’ve been sickened by the virus should not delay calling a doctor, insurance experts say consumers should still call their insurance plan as a follow-up to learn what medical services are fully covered and which ones may involve an out-of-pocket cost.

“The industry is not a monolith,” said Karen Pollitz of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “We don’t have a rule yet that says all insurers must do ‘x,’ so flip your insurance card over and call the 800 number.”

The coronavirus test uses samples taken from the patient with swabs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least two swabs, one from the throat and the other from the nose, where the virus tends to enter and cause an infection.

The samples are then sent off to a limited number of government, academic and private labs that can run the test.

The lab process can take roughly 4 to 6 hours. Altogether, it can take several days to ship a sample and receive the results back.

The more that we learn about this virus, the better our leaders and healthcare professionals will be able to coordinate a robust response.

In the meantime, making sure that the appropriate patients get tested is crucial... and the administration has accomplished just that!

Instead of criticizing the administration, perhaps the media should report on what they're actually accomplishing!



 

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