BUFFALO (WBEN) - Three main regional health insurers, Univera, Independent Health, and BlueCross BlueShield, will not cover "Return to Work or School" COVID testing.
County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein told the Buffalo News that it's a "frustrating" policy and that it would "limit access to COVID-19 testing."
Mayor Byron Brown and County Executive Mark Poloncarz took to social media Monday to implore the companies to reverse the policy.
I sent a letter to health insurers demanding that #COVID19 testing be covered, no exceptions. Testing is one of the few weapons we have in this fight against the global health pandemic. pic.twitter.com/Xd8iNx8MoM
— Byron W. Brown (@MayorByronBrown)
August 24, 2020 Today, Dr. Gale Burstein and I expressed our disbelief to the CEOs of @BCBSWNY, @Univera_WNY and @IH_news that none of them were covering the cost of COVID-19 testing for their members and called on each to rescind their decision and make Coronavirus testing available to all. pic.twitter.com/jl1r9IMqhK
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz)
August 24, 2020 In response to the outrage and media attention, BlueCross BlueShield sent out a statement, reading in part:
Recent reports about health insurers not covering employer-required, back-to-work COVID-19 testing for healthy workers are incomplete, and therefore misleading.
There has been no change in our policy regarding occupational testing and public-health screening, and the policy follows what the vast majority of health insurers nationally are doing as well. The tests that are in question are ones that are mandatory for employment or to return to the classroom.
At BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, we have and will continue to cover all medically necessary testing and treatment for our members. That has been the case since the pandemic exploded here in March. We still cover all testing recommended by a doctor, or other health care provider, because of direct exposure, travel exposure, or symptoms.
Back-to-work tests are an employer’s option. Many other employers will simply ask their colleagues to fill out the now-familiar symptoms-disclaimer form, and/or take their temperature upon entering the workplace.
Independent Health also released the following statement:
Our COVID testing coverage has not changed. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) required health plans to provide coverage without any cost sharing, prior authorization or medical management requirements for diagnosing COVID-19. Independent Health therefore continues to cover COVID testing with no member cost share for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Recent federal guidance confirmed this coverage requirement does not apply to ‘back to work’ testing. Based on this guidance, such testing is not required to be covered under the commercial health insurance and our policy, which is consistent with other plans throughout New York State, follows this guidance.
AJ Wright, director of government affairs for BlueCross BlueShield, discussed the issue.
"I want to point out that we are covering testing - any medically necessary testing - if somebody's symptomatic, if they have a doctor's prescription, we do cover that testing, and those tests are covered in full," said Wright, who added that the state state or county-run testing facilities may be a better option for their members anyway. "We've encouraged our members to attend one of the state or county testing facilities for many reasons. One, there's usually a quicker turnaround, but on top of that, we believe that those are safer testing, especially if they are not symptomatic, we don't want out members to be going into an Urgent Care facility or a hospital where they may be exposed to other COVID-positive patients or other illnesses."
"Univera provides coverage for full diagnostic testing as well as antibody that is determined to be medically appropriate for the diagnosis and treatment of an individual by an attending physician, as evidenced by the order of that attending physician," said Vienne. "Our recommending that patients go see their physician to address these types of things, I think is an appropriate recommendation for people. Let the medical professionals assess you and define the appropriate course of action for you."
