WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and 13 Senate Democrats, called on major health insurance companies to remove barriers to care for Americans who find themselves diagnosed with COVID-19. In a letter to the CEOs of Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, Humana, Cigna Corporation, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Anthem, and UnitedHealth Group, the senators specifically asked the insurers to cover all COVID-19 related treatment and services at no additional costs to patients—allowing Americans to get tested, assessed, and treated without the fear of unexpected medical bills.
“Our nation cannot effectively combat the growing 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis if Americans cannot afford to seek treatment when they experience serious symptoms and health complications connected to the virus,” the senators wrote.
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The senators continued: “We ask today that you suspend all cost sharing requirements connected with treatments for COVID-19 and associated health complications. The waiver of cost sharing should extend to emergency department care, virtual care and telehealth visits, health center and urgent care settings, and 90-day refills of prescription medications. With the U.S. lagging in testing potential cases of COVID-19, the last thing we need is for people to be scared off from seeing their provider or seeking treatment because of the cost.”
Along with Duckworth, Durbin and Murphy, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Udall (D-NM), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Bob Casey (D-PA).
