INSURER SHIPS KITS TO MEDICARE RECIPIENTS TO HELP COMBAT THE FLU

Antiviral medication, coronavirus test included in kit

With COVID-19 hospitalizations spiking again in many parts of the country, public health officials have expressed concerns about a perennial source of strain on the health care system: seasonal flu. As threats of a “twindemic” loom, health care workers have stressed the need for vaccination and other preventive measures to slow the spread of flu.

One insurance company is going further to try to mitigate the effects of flu season: Unitedhealthcare, the country’s largest health insurance company, plans to provide at-risk patients with 200,000 kits that include Tamiflu, a prescription antiviral treatment; a digital thermometer; and a coronavirus PCR diagnostic test. People can take the test at home and then mail it in for laboratory analysis, helping patients and doctors determine the cause of their symptoms, which is particularly important because the coronavirus and f lu have similar symptoms but differ in treatment.

“These viruses have proven themselves highly capable of putting strain on our health care system alone,” said Dr. Kelly Moore, an associate director of the Immunization Action Coalition. “Their combined impact is really worrisome.”

In late September, Unitedhealthcare began inviting its Medicare Advantage members to sign up for the kits either online or by phone, starting with a focus on those at highest risk of complications from COVID-19 and the flu based on their age and health status. Since then, 120,000 people have enrolled, and the company has begun shipping the kits. The company has more than 5 million Medicare Advantage members.

The company said supplying people with Tamiflu in advance could help to mitigate the severity of flu infections because the antiviral medication gets less effective with every hour that passes from onset of symptoms and is virtually ineffective after 48 hours. Tamiflu on average shortens the duration of illness by one to two days if taken rapidly, according to Moore. It can also help prevent illness in someone at high risk of complications who has been exposed to the flu, but is not routinely recommended for preventive use in most populations.

Unitedhealthcare’s initiative targeted Medicare patients because the elderly are more at risk of severe infection from both the coronavirus and the flu.

There is no charge for the Tamiflu or the coronavirus test, as long as people receive advice from a doctor via telemedicine. A company spokesperson said that the kits could produce savings by reducing hospitalizations through preventive care.