President Donald Trump will announce on Friday free CCP virus treatment for uninsured Americans.
Around 30 million people in the country lack insurance.
“The president has made it clear: we don’t want any American to worry about the cost of getting a test or the cost of getting treatment,” Vice President Mike Pence, the White House Coronavirus Task Force head, told reporters on Thursday night.
The task force is working on a proposal that would use some of the $100 billion directed toward hospitals in a recent piece of legislation to compensate hospitals directly for any CCP virus treatment they provide to uninsured Americans.
The exact details are still being worked out.
“There are 30-odd million uninsured Americans and the president has directed the coronavirus task force to find a way to make sure that they know we will find a way to pay for the coronavirus treatment and the president will be announcing that tomorrow,” Pence said at the White House.
Coverage under Medicaid and Medicare has also been expanded to include CCP virus testing and treatment as well as telehealth services.
Administration officials have declined to commit to reopening the insurance marketplace and Trump on Thursday said they’re looking at a different method of helping those without insurance.
“We’re going to try to get a cash payment to the people and we’re working out the mechanics of that with the legislature,” the president said.
“Just opening it up doesn’t help as much. We’re going to try and get, for that certain group of people, a cash payment.”