Covid-19 hospitalizations average $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs per visit, research says

[BigmanPigman]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/18/health/covid-out-of-pocket-hospitalizations-costs/index.html

Measures to protect patients hospitalized with Covid-19 from financial liability have been rolled back by most insurers in the United States, leaving the vast majority of patients with an average out-of-pocket bill of about $4,000 for each hospital stay, according to research published this week in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Between March 2020 and January 2021, less than 9% of patients with private health care insurance had any cost-sharing associated with Covid-19 hospitalization. By March 2021, more than 84% of patients with private insurance had some financial responsibility for a Covid-19 hospitalization.

A separate analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that cost-sharing waivers have now expired for more than 94% of the largest health insurance plans. The vast majority had rolled them back by August 2021, when Covid-19 vaccines were widely available to the general public

Patients insured under the Medicare Advantage program saw a similar jump in cost-sharing responsibilities, from less than 3% in the first year of the pandemic up to 66% in March 2021.

From March 2020 through March 2021 -- spanning periods when cost-sharing waivers were both widespread and rolled back -- the average Covid-19 hospitalization cost privately insured patients an average of $3,998 out-of-pocket. Average costs were highest in the Western region of the US and lowest in the Northeast.

[progree]

1. Actually they should charge double that

to the UNvaccinated (leaving aside those who cannot be vaccinated for valid medical reasons). And make it $0 out of pocket for the vaxxed.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Hear, hear!

That would be fair.