Cost relief is critical to get more Americans tested for COVID-19

President Donald Trump's Wednesday address oversimplified when he said that the nation's health insurers would waive out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19. While his intentions were good and meant to encourage Americans to get tested, clarification is critical as this viral disease spreads and people increasingly turn to doctors for testing and evaluation.

Over the past week, health insurers in Minnesota and elsewhere have said they'll waive office copays, deductibles and other cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing. But what plan-holders might be personally billed for still depends on their insurer and their specific health plan.

For example, those with insurance might still face normal cost-sharing for the office visit or other tests to rule out similar conditions, such as influenza or strep throat. Normal cost-sharing also will still apply to hospitalization and other treatment — a point the nation's health insurance trade organization made clear again in minutes after Trump's speech.

And of course, measures taken by insurers only help those with coverage. Close to 28 million Americans are uninsured. Congress, state lawmakers and the industry need to take swift action so that cost is not a barrier to testing or care for those who have insurance and those who do not.

"We are going to need to figure out how to cover the cost of treatment for people with high copays and deductibles, and even more importantly for people with no insurance at all. It's barely been a part of the discussion so far, but that won't be the case for long," Kaiser Family Foundation's Larry Levitt said in a statement posted on Twitter this week.

The $8.3 billion aid package passed by Congress last week is aimed at developing a vaccine and treatments. Unfortunately, it does little to offset consumer costs. Right now, the Minnesota Department of Health is doing testing in Minnesota and isn't charging for it. That could change as commercial labs begin providing this service. The Minnesota Hospital Association said this week it's too early to tell what a test's price tag might be. In Seattle, one of the pandemic's hot zones, testing reportedly runs from $100 to $500 for those with insurance and up to $1,600 for those without it.

The House is weighing remedies, including no-cost testing for all. State lawmakers are also pursuing measures to defray consumer costs. But health insurers, especially the state's four large nonprofit health plans, must be a bigger part of the solution. Thankfully, two of Minnesota's have stepped up to provide community-minded leadership.

This week, UCare and HealthPartners announced that they would waive cost-sharing for clinical or urgent care services incurred during COVID-19 testing, not just the test itself. There may be limitations, such as whether the provider is out of network, but this is still important relief. For example, it would mean that the cost of an office visit doesn't have to be applied first toward a deductible.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, the state's largest insurer, and Medica need to follow this lead. It would be a good example of the "community benefit" the state expects in return for the tax breaks granted to nonprofits in the state.

Employers also need to step up. Many large companies offer "self-insured" plans administered by insurers. The decision to defray enrollees' COVID-19 testing cost-sharing is up to each employer-run plan. The Minnesota Business Partnership this week said that it does not have a "full picture" of how state firms are handling this.

Prompt testing and good care are keys to controlling COVID-19. Teamwork is critical from lawmakers, insurers and employers to prevent pocketbook barriers that may prolong a pandemic.