Trump Admin Announces Free Coronavirus Treatment for Uninsured - Do You Agree?

Americans without health insurance coverage will be able to receive treatment for coronavirus (COVID-19) free of charge, following an announcement by President Donald Trump during Friday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing in which he said:

“Today I can so proudly announce that hospitals and healthcare providers treating uninsured coronavirus patients will be reimbursed by the federal government using the economic relief package Congress passed last month. That should alleviate any concern that uninsured Americans may have about seeking the coronavirus treatment.”

Hospitals and other healthcare providers treating uninsured coronavirus patients will be reimbursed by the federal government through a $100 billion fund established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Trump signed into law on March 27, 2020.

Trump also alluded to a decision made by some of the nation’s largest health insurance providers ― including Signa & Blue Cross-Blue Shield ― which announced that all co-pays for coronavirus treatment will be waived for the next 60 days. “That is a big statement and we appreciate that,” the president said.

What about testing?

The “phase 2” coronavirus relief package ― known as the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act ― required all health insurance plans to cover coronavirus testing free of charge to the consumer, and ensured that uninsured individuals could also receive coronavirus testing for free.

The CARES Act, Congress’s “phase 3” COVID-19 relief bill, clarified that while consumers will receive free testing, insurers will pay healthcare providers either a rate specified in their contract  or a cash price to reimburse the frontline provider for administering the test.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: White House via Flickr / Public Domain)