The moves respond
to signs that many people have been putting doctor visits on hold, possibly due
to worries about coronavirus exposure.
HealthPartners
and Medica are waiving certain fees for more than 70,000 people in Medicare
health plans to encourage seniors to seek care despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
moves respond to signs that many people have been putting doctor visits on
hold, possibly due to worries about exposure to the novel coronavirus.
“We
recognize that for Medicare members ... there is a question of making sure that
they are getting the care that they need in the context of any concerns that
they might have about COVID,” said Dr. Patrick Courneya, the chief health plan
medical officer at Bloomington-based HealthPartners. “These last few months
have led to delays in them getting in for care for things that they really need
to be paying attention to.”
HealthPartners
is waiving cost-sharing fees for Medicare members when they seek in-network
primary care and behavioral health visits between July and December. The change
applies to about 45,000 people in the insurer’s Medicare Advantage, Medicare
Cost and group retiree health plans in Minnesota and neighboring states.
Minnetonka-based
Medica is waiving cost-sharing for in-office, in-network appointments from June
to September. Savings are available to about 28,000 people in Minnesota
enrolled in the insurer’s Medicare Advantage health plans.
“Our
goal is to ensure members get the care they need by seeing their primary care
and specialist providers as the first level of care,” Greg Bury, a Medica
spokesman, said via e-mail to the Star Tribune. He added that “telehealth at
home” will continue “as a secondary option.”
COVID-19
has created unexpected costs for health insurers as a significant number of
people seek care for the new respiratory illness. But those costs might be more
than offset by savings for health insurers due to deferred health care,
according to an April report by the actuarial firm Milliman.
Milliman
projected a net reduction in medical costs for health care payers of at least
$75 billion.
Many
delays were driven by government restrictions on elective procedures to
conserve hospital resources for pandemic patients. Those restrictions have
eased, yet the Commonwealth Fund reported last month
that visits to ambulatory practices remained roughly one-third lower than
pre-pandemic levels.
“Many
patients are ... avoiding visits because they do not want to leave their homes
and risk exposure,” researchers wrote.
Minnetonka-based
UnitedHealthcare, which is the nation’s largest health insurer, said in May
that it would waive certain fees through
September for Medicare Advantage enrollees when they visit doctors.
Eagan-based
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota said it would waive some cost-sharing fees
for about 100,000 people in Medicare Advantage plans.
Minneapolis-based
UCare waived certain copays, as well, but also discounted premiums for
about 100,000 seniors with Medicare Advantage coverage as people use less
health care with COVID-19.
At
HealthPartners, cost-sharing will be waived for in-person, phone and video
primary care and behavioral health visits, including visits for substance abuse
when services provided are in-network.
When
COVID-19 emerged, many clinics moved to “virtual visits” where doctors and
patients communicate through secure digital channels.
The
moves reduced exposure risks and also helped conserve scarce supplies of
protective equipment. Some clinics have dabbled with drive-through care to
reduce exposure risks.
The
volume of in-person visits to primary care clinics is starting to recover, said
Courneya of HealthPartners.
“By
waiving the copays for primary care, we have eliminated that barrier to
[patients] coming in,” he said. “And by doing the same thing for mental health,
we recognize how stressful this has been.”
At
Medica, telehealth visits will continue to be available under the federal
emergency declaration, but they will have copays, said Bury, the company
spokesman.
Twitter:
@chrissnowbeck
Christopher Snowbeck covers health insurers, including
Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, and the business of running hospitals and
clinics.
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