The novel coronavirus pandemic has taken a financial toll on many people and corporations, including many health care providers. But, Sarah Kliff and Jessica Silver-Greenberg report for the New York Times that some of these providers are making up for lost income by charging a COVID-19 fee to their patients. Assisted living facilities, ambulances, dentists and other health care providers are adding a COVID fee to their bills, to cover the costs of personal protective equipment and other novel coronavirus-related services during this pandemic.
For patients, these COVID-19 fees can be steep, and insurance generally does not pay for them. One assisted facility tacked on a $900 charge to its bill. An ambulance company charged an additional $60. A dentist’s office charged $45 on top of the cost of a dental cleaning.
Dentists have been particularly hard hit by the novel coronavirus. They have at once lost a lot of business and incurred additional expenses. They typically charge COVID fees of $12 to $45 to make up for some of their lost revenue. Some dental insurers are picking up a piece of that fee.
It’s bad enough that patients are forced to bear these additional costs. What’s worse is that they often do not know about them until they are billed for the health care services they receive. Many Americans are so accustomed to being upcharged that they pay the fee without question.
But, these fees might not be legal. According to several state attorneys general, these COVID fees, which can be as high as $1,000, takes advantage of patients. New York State now outlaws these fees, claiming that they violate consumer protection laws. Some fees are illegal under federal law.
If you have traditional Medicare, the public Medicare option, providers are prohibited from charging you an additional fee for Medicare-covered services. Under New York, Connecticut and Maryland laws, health care providers that are in-network are not permitted to charge a fee under state or federal law.
Medicare is now considering whether to pay an additional amount to some health care providers, given their increased costs for personal protective equipment. And, perhaps, private health insurers will follow suit. But, if insurers pay these additional fees, you can be sure that they will pass along the cost to you in higher premiums. People without insurance will be stuck with higher bills to pay out of pocket.
Here’s more from Just Care:
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