A number of designated hospitals remind patients to bring medical insurance cards. COVID-19’s medical insurance policy attracts attention
After the optimized epidemic prevention and control measures are introduced one after another, medical institutions will not be allowed to refuse COVID-19 patients to see a doctor. Does the current medical insurance reimbursement policy in COVID-19 adapt to the situation that the number of patients with positive infections may increase significantly?
During the investigation by the First Financial Reporter, it was found that some designated hospitals in COVID-19 began to remind COVID-19 patients to bring their medical insurance cards with them for subsequent policy adjustment.
"All patients who go to the designated hospitals for outpatient and emergency treatment in our hospital need to hold medical insurance cards (including electronic medical insurance cards) for normal settlement and pay for themselves normally; Patients without medical insurance cards pay for themselves. " On the 9th, a designated hospital in COVID-19 in a northern city issued a document saying.
This hospital is a local second-class general hospital, and it is also the designated hospital for medical insurance in this city. Recently, this hospital was opened as the designated hospital for treatment in COVID-19, mainly providing medical treatment for patients with nucleic acid positive or antigen positive in Covid-19.
On the afternoon of the 9th, CBN called the hospital for an appointment as a patient’s family member. Relevant staff said that at present, the expenses incurred by the patients diagnosed in COVID-19 in the outpatient and emergency departments should be borne by themselves, that is, the medical insurance is settled normally or the patients pay by themselves.
However, the practice of medical insurance reimbursement in this hospital is not common. A person in charge of a district-level medical insurance department in the city told CBN that the policy adjustment document has not been received for the time being.
The reporter called the outpatient department of another local designated hospital in COVID-19, and the relevant telephone receiver said that at present, COVID-19’s nucleic acid-positive people come to the outpatient department to make an appointment, which still belongs to the category of financial reimbursement and need not bear it by themselves. "If you come to register tomorrow, it is recommended to bring a medical insurance card. We are not sure whether there will be any changes at that time."
The staff in charge of community liaison at another designated hospital in COVID-19 in this city also said that it is best to bring a medical insurance card when visiting a doctor. Now, the policy received is that the treatment related to COVID-19 is free, and the treatment outside COVID-19 needs to be charged.
"It’s best to bring a medical insurance card with you, and then follow any policy," the staff member said.
In the past three years, China has adopted the method of "first treatment, then settlement" to effectively guarantee the treatment expenses of confirmed and suspected patients. After the comprehensive protection of basic medical insurance, serious illness insurance and medical assistance, the personal burden is partially subsidized by the finance.
A person who was tested positive when he entered China this summer and was treated in a domestic hospital told CBN that he also showed his electronic medical insurance card (namely, medical insurance electronic certificate) when he was admitted to hospital, and did not pay any medical-related expenses during his hospitalization.
A person in charge of the medical insurance bureau in the eastern region told CBN that the current policy is to "reimburse" all expenses related to COVID-19 treatment for COVID-19-positive patients admitted to the hospital, including outpatient emergency and hospitalization. There is no central document basis for the requirement that "the expenses incurred by the patients diagnosed in COVID-19 in outpatient and emergency departments should be borne by themselves".
A medical insurance researcher told CBN that free treatment in COVID-19 is a medical security measure in an emergency state. After the optimization of epidemic control, medical insurance "reimbursement" also needs to return to normal management, and COVID-19 treatment can be implemented according to the current normal medical insurance reimbursement and management policy.
On December 9, Jiao Yahui, director of the Department of Medical Administration of the National Health and Wellness Commission, said at the press conference of the joint prevention and control mechanism in the State Council that before COVID-19 was positive, all medical institutions should accept positive patients, and it is not allowed to distinguish whether to accept or not by nucleic acid results. Patients do not have to worry about hospitals not accepting patients.
In the past three years, the "main battlefield" of COVID-19 medical care was the designated treatment institutions in COVID-19, including infectious disease hospitals and designated treatment institutions and shelters in various places. In the future, all hospitals will join the main battlefield.
The above-mentioned medical insurance researchers said that National Health Commission’s requirement that all medical institutions should not refuse to accept positive patients has revealed the future direction, that is, positive outpatient and emergency visits will be classified as normal medical treatment.
"Whether the medical insurance reimbursement policy is adjusted still needs to be determined by the central document, but it is expected that in the actual implementation, infectious disease hospitals, designated treatment institutions and specialized institutions for severe treatment such as shelter can still be reimbursed according to the original policy. Except for these institutions, positive patients will pay for medical treatment in other medical institutions as normal diseases," said a medical insurance industry insider.