Aetna to Waive Cost-sharing Charges for Hospital Admissions for Covid-19 Treatment

By Anna Wilde Mathews

CVS Health Corp. said its Aetna unit will waive cost-sharing charges for people who are admitted to the hospital for treatment of Covid-19, the respiratory illness tied to the new coronavirus.

The big insurer's move, which will apply in its employer plans, goes beyond a recently-passed law that forces insurers to cover coronavirus testing without out-of-pocket cost to members. That law included visits to a doctor or emergency room that result in a test, but didn't include treatment for those sick with Covid-19.

An Aetna spokesman said the insurer believes it is the first to waive cost-sharing on Covid-19 hospital stays on a national basis. He said the new policy applies to fully-insured employer plans and also for self-insured employers, though they can opt out.

Aetna will waive co-payments and co-insurance, and the hospital stays will be covered without out-of-pocket charges even before the patient's deductible is maxed out. The new policy applies to inpatient admissions at in-network hospitals for treatment of Covid-19 or complications from it. The policy applies from now through June 1.

Hospital treatment for Covid-19 can be costly. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that in employer plans, the total cost of a hospital admission for pneumonia with major complications was more than $20,000 on average, and the average out-of-pocket cost for the patient was about $1,300.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 25, 2020 11:10 ET (15:10 GMT)

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