Health Insurance
Questions
Will my insurance plan give me coverage for testing and treatment for COVID-19?
It depends on your health plan. While most large insurance companies have temporarily waived cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment, some health insurance plans follow the same terms for covering treatment and testing of COVID-19 as those for other infectious diseases, mostly with no cost-sharing at all, in or out of network.
As of the state-regulated health plans, including individual health plans, small employer health plans, and some large employer plans, Washington Insurance Commissioner, Mike Kreidler, has ordered to cover testing and coronavirus-related medical services without coinsurance, copays, or deductibles for a set period.
Can I get life insurance during the pandemic?
Yes. New whole life and term life policies are being offered during the pandemic but may have higher premiums than before COVID-19 happened. It may also take longer to get covered as now the insurers may require you to answer several COVID-19 related questions to justify the new life insurance policies. This may cause delays in policy applications.
Age being a big risk factor for COVID-19, will the insurer still be selling new life policies to older adults?
While some are still offering life insurance policies to older adults, some large companies like Prudential, Securian, Lincoln National, Protective Life, and Mutual of Omaha have temporarily suspended or delayed life policy applications for people aged 80 and above.
Are the health plans allowing early prescription refills?
As per the CDC recommendations, the households are advised to maintain at least a 30-day supply of any prescription drugs used by them to prepare for unexpected events, such as in case you need to stay at home amid COVID-19, especially those who, because of being aged or having a preexisting condition, are at a higher risk of contracting the virus if they leave their house or are in self-isolation, or facing limited mobility due to prolonged illness. Due to this recommendation, some health plans allow early prescription refills and waive charges for all prescription medications' home delivery.
Can my insurance policy be canceled or refused to be renewed if I get COVID-19?
No. Your insurer cannot cancel or refuse to renew your policy because you are diagnosed with some disease, including COVID-19.
Am I able to avail Out-of-Network services?
If in-network providers are unavailable or incapable to conduct testing or provide proper treatment for COVID-19, insurance companies must provide coverage for out-of-network services.
