In a Feb. 26
press release from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency outlined new guidance clarifying that insurers must cover the cost of COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic individuals.
According to CMS, “plans and issuers must provide coverage without imposing any cost-sharing requirements (including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance), prior authorization, or other medical management requirements for COVID-19 diagnostic testing of asymptomatic individuals when the purpose of the testing is for individualized diagnosis or treatment of COVID-19. However, plans and issuers are not required to provide coverage of testing for public health surveillance or employment purposes.”
Together, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) outline coverage requirements and generally mandates insurers to cover certain items and services related to testing for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 or the diagnosis of COVID-19 when those items or services are furnished on or after March 18, 2020, and during the public health emergency.
The guidance, released together with the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury, and accordance with an
Executive Order signed by President Biden on Jan. 21.
Find the full guidance
here.
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