Money for free COVID testing runs out amid fed funding impasse
PHILADELPHIA — Coronavirus testing providers lose the ability to be reimbursed for tests given to uninsured people on Wednesday, the first major casualty inflicted by Congress’ refusal to authorize new federal COVID-19 funding.
Testing is key in monitoring community spread, detecting outbreaks, getting people treatment, and preventing them from giving the virus to others. Some providers in the Philadelphia region said Tuesday that they remained committed to offering free testing to all and were assessing how they could cover the costs.
“We just can’t stomach the thought of turning someone away that’s coming for testing,” said Azmat Husain, chief medical officer for Personic Healthcare, which operates four local sites, including one at St. Christopher’s Hospital in North Philadelphia, where about 20% of patients are uninsured or undocumented.
Until now, private providers have been able to bill the federal government for the cost of COVID testing for the uninsured or underinsured. But since Congress scrapped an additional $22.5 billion in COVID-19 funding from a government spending bill earlier this month, the fate of the federal coronavirus response has been in limbo.
With funds running out, Tuesday was the last day the federal uninsured program would accept claims from testing providers. The Health Resources and Services Administration said it will also run out of money for vaccine claims in two weeks, meaning providers won’t be paid for giving vaccines to uninsured people, even though the shots themselves will remain free.
“We are increasing health disparities for our most vulnerable populations,” said Antoinette Kraus, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, “when we should be continuing to build our public health infrastructure to be ready for the next wave.”
Without more funding, President Joe Biden’s administration has warned the United States could be caught without enough testing, treatments, or vaccines. Republicans have said they won’t approve funding unless the money comes from other areas, prompting an impasse that has gone on for more than two weeks. They have also asked for accounting of how previous pandemic relief funds were spent.
It also comes as Europe experiences a fresh wave of cases driven by the BA.2 variant, raising concern that a new surge could be on its way in the United States. Just weeks after new case counts dropped to pre-omicron surge levels, experts say it’s far too early to relax.
“As a new subvariant gains traction in the U.S., it is critical to maintain and increase access to testing,” Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., told The Inquirer in a statement. “If we don’t, patients and providers, particularly in underserved communities, will pay the price.”
Free testing has been a pillar of the country’s response to a pandemic that disproportionately hurt low-income communities and people of color. In addition to threatening an end to universal free testing, the lack of fresh funding also could limit the nation’s ability to make treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills, more widely available; to help manufacture at-home tests; and to send vaccine to the rest of the world.