Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Testing Cost Varies Widely; Phone App Might Aid Tracing
Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Test Charges Range From One Cent To $14,750, Study Finds
COVID-19 relief legislation that lets providers in some cases set their own prices on COVID tests has resulted in charges as high as $14,750, a new study finds. Providers billed insurers $144 on average for COVID diagnostic tests, with the prices ranging from one penny all the way up to $14,750, according to a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which drew on about 182,000 claims for tests provided by independent laboratories and outpatient hospital settings. For comparison, Medicare's rate is $51. (Bannow, 9/15)
The New York Times: How Companies Are Getting Fast Coronavirus Tests For Employees
As businesses try to recover from the pandemic’s economic blow while ensuring the safety of workers and customers, many have complained of two obstacles: access to coronavirus testing for their employees and long delays in receiving results. But some have found a reliable workaround. Through a growing number of intermediaries, they can generally obtain test results in one to three days, often by circumventing large national labs like Quest and LabCorp that have experienced backlogs and relying on unused capacity at smaller labs instead. (Scheiber, 9/15)
Kaiser Health News: Lack Of Antigen Test Reporting Leaves Country ‘Blind To The Pandemic’
More than 20 states either don’t release or have incomplete data on the rapid antigen tests now considered key to containing the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 6 million Americans. The lapses leave officials and the public in the dark about the true scope of the pandemic as untold numbers of cases go uncounted. The gap will only widen as tens of millions of antigen tests sweep the country. Federal officials are prioritizing the tests to quickly detect COVID-19’s spread over slower, but more accurate, PCR tests. (Pradhan, Weber and Recht, 9/16)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: New Testing Requirement Adds To Stress On Nursing Homes
From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Georgia struggled to control a virus that can easily be passed by those who may not show symptoms. But as the state came to have one of the nation’s highest infection rates, August turned out to be the worst month for the state’s long-term care facilities, with their death toll climbing past 2,000. (Schrade, 9/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: Could Your Phone Indicate Whether You’ve Been Exposed To Coronavirus? Bay Area Trial Hopes To Find Out
Anxiety about coranivus exposure is a reality everyone can relate to these days. And no one likes their privacy trampled. But if your phone could safely tell you that you’ve encountered an infected person, would it help? California public health officials not only hope it will, but are betting that such private alerts will prompt people to quickly call their doctor, get tested and quarantine. So, with the help of students and staff at UCSF and UC San Diego, they are preparing in the next few weeks to test a new app called “California COVID Notify” on those campuses they hope will make a dent in the pandemic. (Asimov, 9/15)
Testing woes continue in the U.K., as well —
AP: Shortage Of Virus Tests In UK Hurts Effort To Fight 2nd Wave
Hospitals in England say a shortage of COVID-19 tests in the U.K. is jeopardizing medical staffing and preparations for a potential surge in coronavirus cases this winter. Inadequate testing is leading to increased absences in the National Health Service as medical workers are forced to self-isolate while they and their family members wait for test results after possible exposures, according to NHS Providers, a group that represents hospitals. Last weekend hospital leaders in three different cities raised concerns about testing, said Chris Hopson, the group’s CEO. (Kirka, 9/15)
The New York Times: As Second Wave Builds, U.K. Enters New Coronavirus Testing Crisis
With Britons fretting last week that a new six-person limit on gatherings would effectively cancel Christmas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled what he called Operation Moonshot, an audacious plan to test 10 million people every day for the coronavirus and restore life to normal by winter. But by Tuesday, the reality of earthbound life in a pandemic reasserted itself: Before a second wave of the virus had even crested, unprocessed samples overwhelmed Britain’s labs and people waited in desperation for tests, while the reopening of the country’s schools and businesses hung in the balance. (Mueller, 9/15)
