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ATLANTA – More than just a health risk, a COVID-19 hospitalization will now cost you more financially than at the start of the pandemic.
Researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that last year, 88% of the nation’s top insurers voluntarily waived out-of-pocket expenses for hospitalizations related to COVID-19.
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But that has radically changed. Today, 72% of these health insurers instead bill patients for these co-payments and fees.
“People hospitalized with COVID 19, most of whom are preventable with free vaccines, will face reimbursable costs,” said Krutika Amin of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
And these costs can add up quickly.
The average COVID-19 hospital stay exceeds $ 20,000.
The patient’s share, after insurance pays, is still estimated to be around $ 1,300.
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Rick Hooks showed us piles and piles of his medical bills. He says there are now over $ 1 million in charges and he still doesn’t know his share. He also continues to rack up medical bills for oxygen and rehabilitation, more than a year after Channel 2 Action News first interviewed him from his COVID-19 hospital bed.
“Oh, it is expensive to get COVID, make no mistake about it. It’s a big deal, ”Hooks said.
With a 127-day hospital stay, and even with private insurance and additional coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Hooks still faces a major financial challenge.
“What should I do, I’m just shaking my head because I know God is going to find a way,” Hooks said.
Researchers found that in June and July alone, hospital bills for unvaccinated COVID-19 patients amounted to more than $ 2 billion.
Hooks is hoping people who hear his story get vaccinated.
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“You don’t want to be in this intensive care unit fighting for your life,” Hooks said.
Georgia’s two largest health insurers, Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross Blue Shield, have both stopped providing waivers for COVID-19 hospital charges.
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