Coronavirus: Does your health insurance cover treatment?
As coronavirus continues to spread, there's growing concern over whether your health insurance provider will cover treatment.
Anthony Lopez with the health insurance broker eHealth says the answer is yes. Coronavirus would be covered the same as treatment for the flu or pneumonia.
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"If you're going in for a primary care doctor visit, you're going to pay your typical co-pay if you have a co-pay. If you have to have an extended hospital stay, you will be subject to your deductible and however your benefits are structured is how your health insurance will cover it," said Lopez.
Lopez says they've seen a spike in calls with subscribers asking about coronavirus testing and treatment.
One of the callers was Chris Wagner who lives in Folsom, Calif. and is scheduled to go on a cruise later this month.
"If we put ourselves at risk on a cruise ship, we are basically in a floating petri dish. If someone catches it or gets off board and brings the virus onto the ship, you're sitting there in a confined space. The disease is out there. We don't know how it's transmitted. It could be quite a trip interruption for us," said Wagner.
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Another interruption, being self-quarantined for 14 days at home, which Lopez says won't be covered.
"It's going to be an out-of-pocket expense, so the insurance carriers aren't typically going to cover something that is outside of the hospital, outside of their normal care benefits," said Lopez.
But there's good news in regards to testing.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed all commercial and Medi-Cal health plans under the California Department of Managed Health Care to offer free testing.
In a statement, Gov. Newsom said in part:
"Californians shouldn't have to fear a big medical bill just because they took a test for COVID-19...We're all in this together, and I'm grateful to those health providers who have already stepped up and heeded our call."
If you become infected with Coronavirus and are quarantined at a hospital or medical facility, this would be covered by major health insurance plans.
