WASHINGTON (AP)– The Trump administration announced a plan Wednesday to begin paying health centers and doctors who care for uninsured patients with COVID-19, but Democratic legislators and health market groups are likely to press for more.
Under the approach detailed by Health and Human Solutions Secretary Alex Azar, healthcare facilities and physicians would submit their costs straight to the federal government and they would get paid at Medicare rates.
Uninsured people would not be accountable for expenses, and healthcare providers would not have to ask any questions about a client’s immigration status, a problem that’s been mentioned as a barrier to care in neighborhoods with many foreign-born citizens.
” This states if you do not have insurance, go get looked after– we have you covered,” Azar said in an interview.
The money will come from a pot of $100 billion that Congress has authorized to supply relief for the healthcare system, which is attempting to handle the high cost of coronavirus care while facing a cash crunch because elective surgical treatments and procedures have actually been put on hold. For COVID-19 clients who are covered by health insurance, hospitals and physicians accepting money from the relief fund would need to consent to not to send out “surprise” bills for out-of-network services.
COVID-19 treatment for the uninsured might cost from $14 billion to $48 billion, according to a current price quote from the nonpartisan Kaiser Household Foundation.
Azar stated the administration is not providing a quote on what its strategy will cost, however he is positive it will fit within the $100 billion allocated by Congress. Lawmakers are settling another coronavirus relief bill, expected to include $75 billion more for the health care system.
Complete Coverage: Virus Outbreak
Democrats and some health industry groups state the relief cash authorized by Congress ought to go straight to healthcare centers, and the administration needs to cover the uninsured by broadening programs such as Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. An HHS press release describing the plan for the uninsured says payments for their care would be made “based on readily available funding.”
About 28 million people were uninsured before the pandemic hit, which number is expected to rise sharply. Specialists at Health Management Associates approximate that 12 million to 35 million individuals might lose office coverage in the economic shutdown focused on consisting of the spread of the coronavirus.
The plan for the uninsured was part of a wider announcement by the federal government detailing a 2nd round of economic relief payments to medical facilities, medical professionals and other health care provider.
Before Wednesday’s announcement, $30 billion had been distributed. Extra funds now being launched include:
— $20 billion in payments across a series of health care facilities.
— $10 billion targeted to coronavirus hot spots; New york city will get $4.4 billion.
–$10 billion for rural health clinics and hospitals
–$400 million for Indian Health Service facilities.
Azar stated additional allotments will be revealed for retirement home, for medical facilities and physicians that count on Medicaid, and for dental practitioners.
