A number of health insurers, including Aetna, Cigna and Humana are waiving cost-sharing for treatment of the coronavirus, including testing and hospitalization. Cost-sharing typically includes deductibles, co-insurance and co-pays for in-network costs. Those same providers have said they will waive out-of-network costs as well.
On Sunday, Gov. Ned Lamont expanded his previous executive order to include out-of-network costs and instituted new protections for the uninsured.
His orders apply to individual and group plans purchased in Connecticut, which are regulated by the Connecticut Insurance Department. Patients covered under HUSKY Health can receive testing and treatment without co-pays.
Employer plans that were purchased in another state or are self-funded are not regulated by CID. In those cases, you should contact your employer to find out exactly what your plan covers.
The Connecticut Insurance Department is also urging carriers to waive costs for people enrolled in high deductible health plans with a health savings account (HSA). The IRS recently released guidance regarding high deductible plans and expenses related to COVID-19.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says Medicare recipients will not pay any out-of-pocket costs for lab testing or medically necessary hospitalizations.
Another one of Lamont's executive orders requires insurers to extend a 60-day grace period for premium payments, policy cancellations and non-renewals. That means you can't be dropped from your plan if you miss a payment. That order is not exclusive to health plans; it applies to all types of insurance regulated by CID, including home and auto policies.
