The health care industry is pushing Congress to pay for the cost of mandatory quarantines of patients who might have coronavirus Politico reports. That includes people who have been exposed (including healthcare workers) and who are being tested, as well as people who have been confirmed to have it with only mild symptoms that don't require hospitalization.
Getting these populations into quarantine is critical to controlling the extremely contagious disease, and to reducing strain on hospitals. The American Hospital Association is asking the federal government to pick up the costs for temporary facilities, including hotel rooms. King County, Washington, has already started purchasing housing, announcing it was buying a motel as well as modular housing to set up temporarily on publicly owned land.
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It's a matter of having enough beds for people who get critically ill if the epidemic gets worse, so that hospitals don't end up being quarantine sites for those who aren't as ill. The American Hospital Association and American Nurses Association formally petitioned Congress to "provide housing, care and monitoring of patients" who need to be quarantined but not hospitalized. "This includes persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infections who experience mild to moderate symptoms," the letter said.
Additionally, America's Health Insurance Plans sent out guidance reiterating that testing for coronavirus should be free and conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that plans cover "reasonable, medically necessary health care costs related to infectious diseases and medical conditions." That's just the beginning of addressing the potential cost to individuals, to the system, and to the economy if people have to be quarantined outside their homes and if children can't go to school and adults can’t get to work.
That's part of what Sen. Elizabeth Warren has considered in her proposal for a $400 billion package that would pay for all testing and treatment for COVID-19, as well as economic stimulus for the big slowdown the economy will undergo. "I've been worried that our economy is heading towards another crash, and coronavirus is already a serious economic threat," Warren said on Twitter. "I've got a plan to address the economic impact, and I'm calling on Congress to act immediately."
That includes expanded unemployment benefits and payments to families for lost wages; low- or no-interest loans to companies affected by global supply chain disruptions; additional aid to state and local governments to make sure they can provide essential services; and assistance for domestic manufacturers to jumpstart production of medical supplies and drugs here at home.