Government and private health insurers have committed to making the test for COVID-19 free to patients, but other care related to the illness may not be covered.
Patients seeking care for COVID-19 symptoms from their primary care doctor, urgent care clinic or the emergency room may still face steep out-of-pocket costs or copays to treat the symptoms of the illness or to cover additional tests. A report from Castlight Health, a healthcare navigation platform, shows how those costs vary across the country.
Cities at the center of the U.S. outbreak, like New York and Seattle, see some of the highest out-of-pocket costs for care, according to the report. Telehealth visits, which are being encouraged by health officials, tend to be the lowest cost option. The data below shows the cost of only a visit to each healthcare center, not including additional lab tests or x-rays, which Castlight breaks out in the full report.
