PROVIDENCE – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island on Monday abruptly reversed its position to not fully cover the cost of COVID-19 treatment for members, announcing it would instead waive copays, deductibles and other forms of co-payments for the rest of the state of emergency.
The decision followed discussions with Gov. Daniel J. McKee and Health Insurance Commissioner Patrick Tigue, the company said, as well as feedback from its customers.
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“At Blue Cross, we recognize that even with the availability of vaccines growing, many of our members are facing serious hardships and challenges due to the ongoing pandemic,” said Michele Lederberg, Blue Cross’s interim president and CEO. “We appreciate our open dialogue with [the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner] and specifically, Commissioner Patrick Tigue, and will continue our coordinated efforts to help Rhode Islanders.”
Blue Cross is Rhode Island’s largest health insurance company, covering more than 382,000 people, according to the Providence Business News 2021 Book of Lists.
Its largest competitors in Rhode Island are Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, which had pledged to continue covering all out-of-pocket expenses throughout the duration of the pandemic, and UnitedHealthcare of New England, which had also decided to stop its waiver of the fees this year, according to Tigue.
In a release Monday, Tigue thanked Blue Cross for its decision and encouraged all health insurers in the state to waive the deductibles, copays and co-insurance costs for COVID-19 throughout the pandemic.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
