40% of Americans say they encounter many other barriers to get a COVID-19 test.
PR Newswire
NEW YORK , Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 testing has become an essential part of life - especially for Americans who have jobs that require routine testing or Americans who have preexisting health conditions. But affordability concerns are driving 13% of Americans to skip COVID-19 tests, according to a new survey from ValuePenguin.com by LendingTree . That number is significantly higher when you factor in Americans who don't have health insurance
Key Findings:
- 20% of Americans without health insurance are skipping COVID-19 tests citing affordability
- 9% of Americans without health insurance say they skipped multiple COVID-19 tests.
- 40% of Americans faced barriers to getting tested from:
- At-home test shortages (18%),
- Long lines at testing centers (16%)
- Difficulty getting an appointment (16%).
- 23% of COVID-19 test-takers had out-of-pocket expenses related to COVID-19 testing
- On average, those with out-of-pocket costs spent $120 on COVID tests.
- Millennial ($142) and Gen Z Americans ($125) spent the most.
"Under federal law, insurers must cover the costs of COVID-19 tests - but you can get charged in some situations - like if your test provider sent your sample to a lab that's outside your insurer's coverage network" according to ValuePenguin.com healthcare expert Robin Townsend . She adds, "If you think you've been charged unfairly, talk to your healthcare provider. Our survey found that half of those who negotiated COVID-19 testing charges were able to get them removed."
To view the full survey report, visit: https://www.valuepenguin.com/covid-19-testing-survey
About ValuePenguin.com: ValuePenguin.com, part of LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE), is a personal finance website that conducts in-depth research and provides objective analysis to help guide consumers to the best financial decisions. ValuePenguin focuses on value, assessing whether the return of a particular decision is worth the cost or risk of that option, and how this stacks up with the other possible choices they may have. For more information, please visit www.valuepenguin.com , like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @ValuePenguin.
Media Contact:
Divya Sangam (Ms.)
Divya@LendingTreeNews.com
SOURCE ValuePenguin.com