So the FEHBlog was wrong in promoting the fact that the COVID-19 death rate was stable for two days this week. After the period of stability the death rate rose from 3.23% to 3.61%. In other words, the plateau has not yet been reached. Here are the CDC Cases in U.S. Stats for the four Fridays:
| COVID-19 | 3/20 | 3/27 | 4/3 | 4/10 |
| Cases | 10,442 | 85,356 | 239,279 | 459,165 |
| Deaths | 150 | 1246 | 5,442 | 16,570 |
| Deaths over Cases | 1.44% | 1.46% | 2.37% | 3.61% |
Please note that the CDC numbers close at 4 pm on the previous day. The much loved John Hancock COVID-19 site is simply too much for the FEHBlog to handle.
Today, the CDC released its latest COVIDView and its final FluView for the 2019-20 flu season. Thanks heavens for small miracles.
The FEHBlog was overjoyed by a sentence from the following HHS press release that the FEHBlog has placed in bold print:
The Trump Administration is committed to ensuring that Americans are protected against financial obstacles that might prevent them from getting the testing and treatment they need from COVID-19.As announced in early April, a portion of the $100 billion Provider Relief Fund will be used to reimburse healthcare providers, at Medicare rates, for COVID-related treatment of the uninsured.
As a condition, providers are obligated to abstain from “balance billing” any patient for COVID-related treatment.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires private insurers to cover an insurance plan member’s cost-sharing payments for COVID-19 testing. President Trump has also secured commitments from private insurers, including Humana, Cigna, UnitedHealth Group, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield system to waive cost-sharing payments for treatment related to COVID-19 for plan members.
Here’s the rub. How will health plans know that a particular provider is barred from balance billing for COVID-19 care?
It is admirable that UnitedHealthGroup is helping HHS promptly distribute this CARES Act funding to providers.