State and federal agencies are doing a lot — on several fronts — to help make sure that people’s insurance covers testing and treatment for the new coronavirus/COVID-19. A list of links to current actions, organized by type of plan, follows.
Coronavirus: What You Need To Know
- People with most types of insurance (private, employer-provided, Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, military, veteran, and tribal plans) will get free COVID-19 testing, according to a provision in the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law March 18.
- Read the details here.
- If you bought your plan on Nevada Health Link, it will cover COVID-19 testing.
- Nevada Health Link, for those who don’t know, is the online marketplace created by Silver State Health Insurance exchange, the network where Nevadans can shop for Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) certified plans. Here’s their coronavirus information web page: https://www.nevadahealthlink.com/coronavirus/
- Here is the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ information related to COVID-19 for plans bought through healthcare.gov: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/03052020-individual-small-market-covid-19-fact-sheet.pdf
- If you have Medicare Part B (medical services coverage), tests for coronavirus done after February 4, 2020, are covered at no cost. Medicare also covers preventive tests and screenings. Here’s the information on that: https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/coronavirus-test
- In addition, the federal government loosened restrictions on Medicare so that it now allows providers nationwide to be reimbursed for telehealth appointments. The related FAQ is here.
- If you have Medicaid, it’s more complicated. Testing will be covered, under the federal legislation that became law on March 18. However, when it comes to treatment, states administer their own Medicaid plans and some benefits are optional for them to include. Cody Phinney, deputy administrator in the office of health care financing and policy of Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services, says care for COVID-19 and secondary infectionswill be covered like any other illnesses. She adds that her office is working with the federal government on loosening some restrictions, such as covering telemedicine appointments done from home instead of a doctor's office, and helping providers with paperwork.
Here’s the CMS question-and-answer sheet: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-FAQs/Downloads/EHB-Benchmark-Coverage-of-COVID-19.pdf
- Here’s Access Nevada, the portal where people apply for all state financial assistance, including Medicaid: https://accessnevada.dwss.nv.gov/public/landing-page
- And this is the Nevada Health Link page on Medicaid and CHIP: https://www.nevadahealthlink.com/start-here/about-the-aca/medicaid/
- If you have private insurance, such as a plan you got through work, it falls under the purview of the Nevada Division of Insurance in the Department of Business and Industry. That division passed (and Governor Steve Sisolak signed) an emergency law to make sure that testing and vaccination for COVID-19 are covered. The law says the private insurers it regulates can’t charge out-of-pocket fees for visits to offices, urgent care centers, or ERs for COVID-19 testing, or for the test itself. It also says that they have to cover a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available, and that they have to cover generic prescription drugs if the brand-name version isn’t in stock. It further requires insurance providers to furnish information on COVID-19 benefits, consultation and telehealth options, and preventive measures.
- Here’s the emergency regulation: http://doi.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/doinvgov/_public-documents/News-Notes/2020-03-05.DOI_Emergency_Regulations_re_COVID-19.pdf
- Here’s the Insurance Division’s FAQ on COVID-19 and your insurance: http://doi.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/doinvgov/_public-documents/News-Notes/FAQ_COVID19.pdf
- The division’s consumer alert: http://doi.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/doinvgov/_public-documents/News-Notes/COVID19_Consumer_Alert.pdf
- And its emergency notices, which are updated as changes take place: http://doi.nv.gov/News_Notices/Emergency_Notices/
If you’re aware of something we haven’t included or have questions, please comment on this story or e-mail heidi@desertcompanion.com.
Note: This story was updated March 19 to reflect new federal legislation.
