Surprise Bills for COVID-19 Testing?
Have Your Patients Been Charged with Surprise Bills for COVID-19 Testing? No doubt, the Delta-variant is the driving force behind a new flood of nationwide testing that could translate into more surprise medical bills for those being tested. The CARES Act and Families First Coronavirus Relief Act are supposed to ensure free COVID-19 testing for everyone, including those without insurance. But patients, both the uninsured and those with good coverage, are discovering holes in that coverage. For example, federal law doesn’t compel insurers to include “routine” testing that a growing number of workplaces and schools are currently requiring. This will certainly increase with the President’s mandate for certain persons to be vaccinated or routinely tested. In fact, research shows there have been numerous instances where patients have experienced high out-of-pocket fees ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for receiving COVID-19 testing. So, What are Patients to Do? I