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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 12 January 2022

Home COVID tests to be covered by insurers starting Saturday

Continued from Front won't be as easy as flipping president, said in a state- "I gave her some and her Americans on Medicare
a switch. ment. kids went to school. That's won't be able to get tests
The administration is trying "Health insurance provid- Both groups said they sup- one time and there's a mil- reimbursed through the
to incentivize private insur- ers will work as quickly as port provisions in the Bi- lion of her," Bressler said. federal insurance plan, but
ers to cover the tests up- possible to implement this den administration plan to "Just like vaccines becom- Medicaid and Children's
front and without a cum- guidance in ways that counteract potential price ing available really shone Health Insurance Program
bersome reimbursement limit consumer confusion gouging on tests. a light on the inequity of plans are required to cover
process. Insurance plans and challenges," Matt Ey- Only tests purchased on what's going on in this pan- the cost of at-home tests
that work with pharma- les, president of America's or after Jan. 15 will be re- demic, I think testing is the fully. Those who are not
cies and retailers to cover Health Insurance Plans, quired to be reimbursed, new flashlight for that be- on a covered insurance
the up-front costs of the said in a statement. "While the administration said. cause who's going online plan can receive free tests
tests will be required to re- there will likely be some hic- Some insurers may choose stalking Walmart? It's not through the forthcoming
imburse only up to $12 per cups in early days, we will to cover the costs of at- the most vulnerable peo- federal website or from
test if purchased through work with the administra- home tests purchased ear- ple in the county," Bressler some local community
an out-of-network retail- tion to swiftly address issues lier, but they won't have to. added. centers and pharmacies.q
er. Plans that don't move as they arise." Mina Bressler, a mother of
was As Mardi Gras nears,
proactively to set up a net- The Blue Cross Blue Shield two and a therapist in San
work of pharmacies would Association had a more Mateo, California,
price that the customer concerned that the policy online and shared some New Orleans brings back
have to cover the full retail direct response. "We are able to buy rapid test kits
paid — which could be does not solve for the lim- with a parent who works
more than $12 per test. ited supply of tests in the in the service industry and mask mandate
The two main health insur- country and could cause doesn't have time to "sit at
ance industry groups said additional consumer fric- her computer every hour
insurers would carry out tion as insurers stand up a refreshing the Walmart By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press
the administration's order, program in just four days' page to see when tests are NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans will reinstitute an in-
but cautioned consumers it time," Kim Keck, the group's in stock." door mask mandate to fight the spread of COVID-19
while readying for an influx of visitors for the Mardi Gras
season, the city health director said Tuesday.
Dr. Jennifer Avegno said the mandate takes effect
Wednesday at 6 a.m. and will apply to participants in the
annual Mardi Gras balls that take place in the city.
Avegno said Louisiana’s statewide coronavirus daily hos-
pitalization numbers have grown in three weeks “by a
factor of seven.” She said those cases have put a strain
on hospitals, with emergency room waits as long as 12
hours in some facilities.
Growing numbers of coronavirus cases, driven by the
omicron variant can affect treatment for people seeking
treatment for other illnesses or injuries, Avegno said.
And, while Avegno said she’s hoping cases will subside
in coming weeks, she added hospitalizations and deaths
show up weeks after cases are reported. That could
mean continued pressure from coronavirus cases about
the time emergency rooms face an annua uptick in pa-
tient numbers as Mardi Gras nears and tourists, some of
them overindulging in alcohol, flood the city.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, falls on March 1 this year. Ma-
jor parades, which draw as many as a million locals and
visitors to city streets, begin in the last two weeks of Febru-
ary.
The city already has a requirement that people show
proof of vaccinations or negative tests for entry into bars,
restaurants and numerous other venues.
Mardi Gras in 2020 became what officials later realized
was an early Southern superspreader of COVID-19. Fes-
tivities were largely canceled last year. This year, officials
are determined to proceed with Mardi Gras events, while
enforcing vaccine and testing requirements.
The state health department said Tuesday that just over
1,900 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Louisiana
as of Monday, up from about 200 in mid-December.q