Millions of people lost health coverage because of the pandemic, and Trump’s quick-fix “program” turned out to be a scam. His program has created chaos and confusion as sick Americans try to navigate the health system — leaving them unknowingly without coverage or with piles of surprise bills.
“Trump Program to Cover Uninsured COVID-19 Patients Falls Short of Promise: Some patients are still receiving staggering bills. Others don’t qualify because conditions other than COVID-19 were their primary diagnosis.”
- “Critics say the stopgap program is among the strongest evidence that Mr. Trump and his party have no vision for improving health coverage, and instead promote piecemeal solutions, even in a national health crisis.”
- “It has caused confusion at participating hospitals, which in some cases have mistakenly billed patients like Ms. Cortez who should be covered by it. Few patients seem to know the program exists, so they don’t question the charges. And some hospitals and other medical providers have chosen not to participate in the program, which bars them from seeking any payment from patients whose bills they submit to it.”
- “Large numbers of patients have also been disqualified because COVID-19 has to be the primary diagnosis for a case to be covered (unless the patient is pregnant). Since hospitalized COVID patients often have other serious medical conditions, many have other primary diagnoses. At Jackson Health in Miami, for example, only 60 percent of uninsured COVID-19 patients had decisively met the requirements to have their charges covered under the program as of late July, a spokeswoman said.”