The Costs of Covid-19: What Health Plans & Employers Are Saying About Covering Care | WTF Health

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH “[Employers’] top priority is getting their employees and their family members the appropriate care, but there are a lot of unknowns about how this is going to impact their actual total cost of care…” As Covid-19 testing and treatment rise in U.S., many people — and their employers — may be starting to wonder: who is going to pay for this? How much is this going to cost? Castlight Health’s CEO, Maeve O’Meara, talks to us about all-things healthcare cost, coverage and benefits administration, drawing from her position leading a company that focuses on helping people make sense of the health insurance benefits they receive through their employers or directly from health plans.  What has employers and health plans most concerned? Making sure people are aware of changes to their plans so they know what’s covered (and what’s not), and when and where to go for care are the top of the list, according to Maeve. Castlight’s recent publication of a ‘Covid19 Cost Analysis Report’ (link below) supports that point, outlining the variances in costs for Covid-19 testing and related fees. The key takeaway to note: While fees may be waived for the Covid-19 test itself, supporting services like doctor’s visits, chest x-rays, bacterial or blood culture tests, etc. are probably not and those costs can vary significantly depending on the point-of-care. Ultimately, these costs are going to add u...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: COVID-19 Health Policy Jessica DaMassa WTF Health Castlight Health Source Type: blogs