Bruce Japsen Senior Contributor Mar 31, 2020,10:28am
EDT
The UnitedHealthcare
website, the health benefits[+]
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FINANCE LP
The nation’s largest health insurance company
is the latest to waive customer cost-sharing and co-payments for all
treatments related to the Coronavirus strain COVID-19.
UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare health
insurance unit said on its web site Tuesday morning it
is “waiving member cost-sharing for the treatment of COVID-19” through May 31
for its fully-insured commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans.” The
company said it will also work with its self-funded accounts, which would
include large self-insured employers.
“This builds on the company’s previously
announced efforts to waive cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and
testing-related visits and the expansion of other member services,” UnitedHealthcare said.
The coverage moves unveiled Tuesday morning on
UnitedHealthcare’s web site follow similar moves announced Sunday at the White
House by Cigna and Humana. The decisions by Cigna, Humana and
UnitedHealthcare are the latest by health insurance companies that are
expanding coverage and eliminating plan member cost-sharing for everything from
in- person doctor office visits for Coronavirus tests to telehealth
consultations for screening of the disease.
But these latest moves by the health insurance
industry are likely more significant to customer finances and access to care
because co-payments for hospitalizations and related cost-sharing for all
treatment beyond a diagnostic screening or office visit are likely more
expensive for the health plan. The expansion of coverage also comes as the
number of confirmed cases of coronavirus hurtled past 160,000 on Tuesday
morning.
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