The Trump administration is looking into using funds from the National Disaster Medical System reimbursement program to reimburse doctors and hospitals for the costs of caring for uninsured people who contract the novel coronavirus.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has been talking about tapping into the program, which is usually used in the event of natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes to pay hospitals and doctors about 110% of Medicare rates for treating patients, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the conversations.
Dr. Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed during a congressional hearing that discussions are being held about using the program, as concerns mount about the estimated 27 million people nationally who do not have health insurance.
Currently, there are more than 100 documented coronavirus cases, and the administration is focusing on the costs of caring for uninsured people. Otherwise, they would have coverage purchased on the government marketplace, through employers or be covered by Medicaid.
According to a 2007 report from the Journal of Health Care Finance, a pandemic such as the influenza outbreak in 1918 could cause hospitals to lose billions of dollars, reports The Wall Street Journal. Further, the American Hospital Association notes that hospitals of all kinds provided more than $38 billion in care that was not compensated.
The national disaster fund depends on available money. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, care for 85 patients was covered under the program, which provides funds for medically necessary hospital and home health care, rehabilitation, and primary care. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 1.900 hospitals nationwide participate in the program.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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