A severe COVID-19 pandemic could cost health insurers in the U.S. more than $90 billion in medical claims, according to analysis from S&P Global Ratings.
Payer
While companies across the U.S. implement work-from-home policies to help combat the spread of COVID-19, UnitedHealth Group has instructed its employees who aren't sick, high-risk or facing other obstacles to go to work, according to The Washington Post.
Some commercial payers are moving to cover cost-sharing and out-of-pocket costs for physician office visits related to COVID-19 screening, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen.
The CPT Editorial Panel approved a new CPT code for coronavirus laboratory testing services, according to the American Medical Association.
High-deductible health plans will be able to keep their status even if they waive cost-sharing for COVID-19 tests before a member's deductible is met, according to an IRS notice.
Advertisement
The following payer executives changed their positions in the past few weeks.
Moody's Investors Service changed its outlook of U.S. Anesthesia Partners, a group of nearly 5,000 anesthesia providers, from stable to negative due to a contract termination from UnitedHealth Group.
A group of national payers all agreed to waive copays for tests for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to The Hill.
CMS is telling Medicare Advantage plans to waive certain requirements to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, among beneficiaries.
As more providers and insurers consolidate, the chances that both sides will run into disagreements over their in-network contracts have heightened, according to a report from the Center on Health Insurance Reforms from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute in…