“Anyone know what the COVID-19 (Chinese Flu) Medicare CPT codes U0001 and U0002 Medicare payment rates are?” – Bill Rusteberg
“Bill, it’s our understanding those are old codes and fees. They have been updated and there are new fees. We’re trying to get confirmation, but it looks like Medicare will pay $305 for the test. We’ve heard hospitals will charge anywhere from $900-$3,000” – Physician
“Wow our TPA is already seeing cost of test between $2,000 and $3,600. We did decide to go ahead and cover testing under preventative so it is free for employees with our insurance” HR Director
“Our director of health services seem to think the test will run $295″ – HR Director
New Analysis Finds Inpatient Coronavirus Treatment Costs Could Top $20K for Patients with Employer Coverage
SOURCE: kff.org
A new issue brief estimates potential coronavirus treatment costs to large employer health plans and their enrollees by looking at typical spending for hospital admissions for pneumonia. The analysis finds that, for pneumonia admissions with major complications and comorbidities, the average total cost is $20,292. In comparison, the average cost for a patient with no complications or comorbidities is $9,763.
Average out-of-pocket costs could exceed $1,300 for all admitted patients, including those without complications or comorbidities.
While complications and deaths associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are concentrated among older adults, who will have different estimated costs under Medicare, many younger patients are expected to become seriously ill as the pandemic spreads in the United States. Those covered by employer-sponsored plans can expect to have copayments and deductibles associated with coronavirus testing waived by their insurers, but will still be responsible for the out-of-pocket costs associated with their treatment.
The analysis is part of the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.
For more data, analysis, polling and journalism on the COVID-19 pandemic, visit kff.org.
Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.
