AHIP Plans to Ensure Coverage, Access for Patients Needing Coronavirus Testing

In an effort to address the costs and access barriers associated with the testing and treatment of the novel coronavirus, the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) has released a statement highlighting three critical areas that health insurers should proactively address.

“As our country prepares for the possibility of widespread infections and takes action to mitigate the impact, our priority is the health and well-being of the people we serve,” AHIP stated.

According to AHIP, which includes members from top insurers like Humana, Anthem, CVS, and Cigna, the most important areas that health insurance providers should address are: 

• Prevention;
• Testing; and
• Treatment.  

“We are taking decisive action to help prevent the spread of this disease, to ensure that people have coverage for and access to needed testing, and to help patients who are infected receive the care and treatment they need,” they said.

In their statement, AHIP said they are committed to providing coverage for coronavirus tests that are ordered by physicians. Additionally, the group said they are hoping to improve referral and prior authorization requirements that could potentially impact access for patients.  

Of important note, AHIP said insurers would potentially waive out-of-pocket costs for coronavirus tests.  

“Health insurance providers will devote our resources, insights, and abilities to collaborate with key partners to confront and resolve this challenge,” AHIP said.  

"Working together with federal, state and community leaders; clinicians; pharmacies; drug makers; medical equipment providers; and other essential partners, we are confident that we can collectively overcome this challenge and keep the American people safe and healthy." 

The AHIP statement explained that the organization hopes to develop solutions for both state and federal policymakers in order to provide more guidance and more flexibility so that changes to preventive services.  

Finally, to avoid the spread of infection, AHIP is also promoting the use of telehealth, at-home care, and other technology-enabled options to expand access to care.  

“We will continue to work directly with the CDC; federal agencies and task forces; and every necessary partner in states, cities, and counties across the country to coordinate efforts, share information, mitigate health risks, and keep Americans informed.” 

—Julie Gould

Reference:

American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Statement by the AHIP board of directors: Taking action to address coronavirus COVID-19 [press release]. https://www.ahip.org/statement-by-the-ahip-board-of-directors-taking-action-to-address-coronavirus-covid-19/. Published March 5, 2020. Accessed March 6, 2020.