Special Bulletin: AHA Urges Private Insurers to Help Meet Historic Challenge to Respond to COVID-19

The AHA today urged leaders from the nation’s five largest private health insurance companies – Aetna, Anthem, Humana, Cigna and UnitedHealthCare – and organizations that represent insurers (America’s Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) to join hospitals and health systems to “meet the historic challenge” caused by COVID-19 to “ensure that the health care system is there for anyone who needs care.”

The federal government has already taken a number of steps to provide critical resources; however, these actions alone are not enough, AHA said, urging private insurers to commit to similar actions.

Specifically, AHA asked private insurers to:

• support stable cash flow by allowing providers to opt into periodic interim payments and/or accelerated payments for the duration of the public health emergency, much like what is available through the Medicare program;
• eliminate administrative processes that cause delays in payment, such as prior authorization and certain payment edits;
• provide adequate coverage and reimbursement of services in hospitals and alternative sites of care, including by covering cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment; and
• expedite processing of outstanding claims that have resulted in billions of dollars in accounts receivables.

“This crisis is challenging for all of us, and everyone has a role to play,” AHA said. “The courage and dedication of our front line health care workers who show up every day to care for their communities are an inspiration to us all. We owe them the same kind of dedication by showing up for them. Our patients, our communities and our health care workers deserve nothing less than our best.”