The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) allocated $4.8 billion to reimburse healthcare providers for testing people without health insurance for COVID-19, according to a release from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
There are approximately 29 million people without health insurance living in the United States, and HHS says it has spent $4 billion so far to cover the costs of testing them for COVID-19.
The funding announced, which comes from the American Rescue Plan, is dedicated to COVID-19 testing. HRSA also helps people without insurance access COVID-19 treatment and vaccinations through the COVID-19 Uninsured Program. The program reimburses providers at national Medicare rates for providing these services. As of May 19, 2021, the program has issued over $2.5 billion toward reimbursing providers for delivering COVID-19 treatment and over $85 million for vaccinating the uninsured.
