Providers who have conducted COVID-19 testing or provided treatment for uninsured individuals can now get reimbursed by the federal government. The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) has opened the reimbursement portal for qualified expenses incurred on or after Feb. 4.
The program reimburses providers at Medicare reimbursement rates for specimen collection; diagnostic and antibody testing; office, urgent care or emergency room visits or telehealth consultations; long-term acute care; acute inpatient rehab; oxygen and ventilators; ambulance ground transportation; and FDA approved drugs as they become available.
Providers are responsible for checking for healthcare coverage eligibility and must agree to accept Medicare reimbursement as payment in full.
The funding comes from two of the recent coronavirus response acts from Washington. According to an article on HealthcareDive.com, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act allocated $1 billion for the uninsured, while the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act earmarked $100 billion in relief funds for providers, with the stipulation that a portion of that funding be used to reimburse providers.
Almost 27 million Americans have filed unemployment claims, sending the rate of people without employer-provided insurance soaring, HealthcareDive.com stated.
