‘No Copays, No Surprise Charges’: Pence Declares Insurers Have Agreed To Cover Coronavirus Costs

Update (1750ET): In what was an unbelievably deft execution by VP Mike Pence, the administration didn’t reveal many new details about president Trump’s economic plan, but it did promise that local and medium sized businesses would be enabled to give workers paid leave to ensure that sick people don’t come to work, and also that insurers had agreed to shoulder all coronavirus costs for those they cover, including those on Medicare and Medicaid plans.

Pence began with an update on testing, claiming that testing is now available at all state labs, and by the end of this week there will be more than 4 million more tests made available at jurisdictions around the country. In a major coup that should help the administration greatly accelerate testing, Pence announced that LabCorp and Quest are in the process now of distributing and marketing coronavirus tests all across America, increasing the likelihood that those with private insurance will be able to access tests via their doctors.

Then Pence moved on to the biggest issues in voters’ minds in a way that should assuage their fears: Pence made clear that the administration had made several “public-private partnerships” with insurers and cruise companies to help lower risk and fight the outbreak. 

The top insurers have agreed to waive all copays, all covered treatment, no surprise billing and encourage telemedicine. It was a year ago that medicaid expanded to pay for telemedicine, so for seniors who are at risk they can get medical advice without going to the doctor or ER, Pence said.

The administration is sticking with payroll tax relief for businesses because in the president’s heart, Pence said the administration wants to make sure hourly workers who may not have family leave today that small and medium sized businesses will be afforded the resources to provide paid leave so that nobody feels pressured to go to work if they have the coronavirus.

Comprehensive proposals from the cruise line industry include advanced screening, medical evacuation at the expense of the cruise lines for anyone who might be infected. The administration will be reviewing the plan over the next 24 hours. The president’s objective, Pence said, is to make the cruise lines safer even as we work with them to make sure that no one in our vulnerable poulation goes out on a cruise.
 

* * *

Update (1729ET): Barely more than a minute after our last update, Javers reported that they’re setting up the Vice Presidential seal at the podium in the press room, indicating that Trump will not be joining the task force this evening.

And… now they’re setting up the vice presidential seal and flag. Good indicator we are NOT about to hear from POTUS. Aides caution he could always come in late, though, so stand by. pic.twitter.com/rX5JjYkdQ5

— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) March 10, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

* * *

Update (1727ET): Eamon Javers just tweeted that nobody is sure whether President Trump is coming to the press conference tonight.

That was basically the impression we had. Trump did promise to release the details of the plan ‘tonight’. But if there aren’t any details to release…well.

GIven his showman instincts, a surprise appearance isn’t out of the question.

As of right now, aides will not say whether or not President Trump will be coming to the 5:30 press briefing to unveil his economic plan. POTUS said last night that he would have a news conference today to announce major and dramatic economic plans. That has not happened yet.

— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) March 10, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

* * *

Last night, as the White House scrambled think of something, anything that they could say that might calm anxious markets (and increasingly anxious workers and business owners), President Trump dropped in on the task force’s press briefing (VP Pence, the task force’s nominal head, was supposed to lead) and told reporters that the administration was planning a stimulus package aimed at helping Americans cope with the economic fallout from the outbreak.

Trump has already signed an $8.3 billion stimulus package into law, but that money’s been earmarked to help the CDC and states fight the outbreak via testing and accomplish urgent priorities like rapidly expanding bed capacity to handle the soon to be overwhelming numbers of patients with life-threatening pneumonia who will be flooding emergency rooms – at least, that’s according to the most dire predictions of states and the CDC.

Now, he needs to convince markets that the administration is going to come through with the fiscal stimulus that every analyst, economist and armchair trader with a twitter account believes is necessary to save the US economy – if not the whole global economy – from sliding into a brutal recession.

With markets finishing in the green on Tuesday, the sense of urgency has slackened somewhat. Still, reporters are claiming that there is no plan, and that Trump essentially pulled the payroll tax cut idea out of his ass, failing to run it by his staff and senior administration officials, as well as the Congressional Republican leadership.

But since President Trump promised earlier to unveil the ‘details’ of his plan tonight, it appears he will be joining the task force to lay out the broad strokes of a ‘plan’ that’s reportedly nowhere near finished.

Will Trump start a war with fellow Republicans at a time of urgent national crisis, with his electoral future on the line? Hopefully, for his sake, his advisors have made clear just how important it is to convey to the public that this is a serious problem that Trump and his administration are meeting with serious solutions.

During a tweet sent a few hours ago, Trump praised the task force, and notably omitted any reference to the media conspiracy he alleges is being orchestrated to blame him for the outbreak.

The press conference is set to begin at 5:30, but like most Trump Administration press briefings, we suspect it will be late. Will Trump and the White House task force manage to restore confidence in the market and stop today’s rally from being just a dead cat bounce?

You’ll have to watch to find out:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QaqwhUmaEc]