OREGON UPDATES
Regence Healthcare Now Covering Over-The-Counter COVID-19 Tests
Oregon | January 15, 2022 | Press Release A ccess to COVID-19 testing is a critical component of public health and safety, enabling you to navigate the pandemic. Federal guidelines were released this week on coverage of over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests. These call for your health plan to cover the cost of FDA authorized at-home tests without cost sharing during the public health emergency and without need for a provider’s order.
Visit your state’s health department website or the CDC’s Vaccine Finder site to find out where all eligible people can get a COVID-19 vaccine. • Idaho • Oregon • Utah • Washington • VaccineFinder.org Here’s what Regence is doing to support you: • Covering COVID-19 vaccinations and testing • Expanding virtual care (telehealth) services • Allowing early medication refills • Contacting members hospitalized with COVID-19 to provide extra support We’ve made these changes in our Individual and family policies, as well as our fully insured group policies. If your coverage is through a self-funded group plan, you should consult your plan administrator for details. In addition, we’ve extended grace periods for premium payments (as required by state law). Extensions end when those mandates end. For group plans governed by ERISA*, we’ve extended the deadlines by which you must file any claims, appeals, and make special enrollment changes. The period from March 1, 2020, until 60 days after the National Emergency ends won’t count in determining these deadlines. n
The policy allows you to be reimbursed for up to eight OTC at-home tests per person enrolled in the plan per month used for diagnostic reasons, meaning you have symptoms or were in close contact with an infected person. Plans are not required to provide coverage of testing (including an at-home OTC COVID-19 test) for employment, surveillance, tracking or extracurricular activities such as travel or sports. The coverage begins Jan. 15 and is not retroactive, meaning you will not be reimbursed for tests bought before Jan. 15. For more information on where to get an OTC test please see the over-the-counter COVID-19 at-home tests FAQ section here. The COVID-19 vaccine is now widely available for most eli- gible people and rates of vaccination continue to increase. The best protection from COVID-19 and its emerging variants is to be fully vaccinated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies continue to use science and current available data to provide guidance on getting the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes the approved vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Speak with your health care provider, such as your doctor or pharmacist, to make sure you are fully vaccinated and have the latest information to protect yourself and others. Regence members can also call our Customer Service team with questions using the number on the back of their ID card. As more people are fully vaccinated, public health guidance will continue to change by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. Visit the CDC’s website or your state’s health department website for the most current information for your area. If we all stay diligent, we can keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safe.
*As a general rule, a plan is governed by ERISA if it is a plan for employees of an employer that is not a government (including a tribe) or church.
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The Business Review | January 2022
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