On Wednesday, March 18, the President signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act after the United States Senate passed HR 6201. This legislation contains a number of provisions that remove cost-barriers to COVID-19 testing, including:
- Group and individual health insurance plans “shall” provide coverage and “shall not” impose any deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance for FDA-approved testing (testing materials and administration of tests) for COVID-19 or any items and services furnished in the course of a provider office, telehealth, urgent care, or emergency room visit that results in an order for a COVID-19 test;
- Waives cost-sharing under Medicare or Medicare Advantage Plans for COVID-19 testing-related services and visits;
- Directs states to cover COVID-19 testing-related services and visits under their respective Medicaid and CHIP state plans.
Additional details can be found in sections 6001-6004 of the bill, available here.
