COVID-19 tests hit uninsured hard

After a cruise to Cozumel, Brittany Marie Wells’ cough escalated to chest pains that dropped the 30-year-old to her knees on the kitchen floor. "I started crying," she told the Columbus Dispatch. Her mother wanted to take her to the hospital, but Wells refused to go. But without health insurance, she feared that ER visit would just be another bill she’s already having trouble paying. She’s hardly alone. For many uninsured Mississippians saddled with medical debt, hospital visits/stays are a chance they can't afford. Even getting a coronavirus test, which can cost hundreds of dollars for the uninsured, can be a hard choice. But in Mississippi, the pandemic may hit particularly hard when the state's high rate of uninsured population (about 12% as of 2018) paired with the nation's highest COVID-19 hospitalization rate, data shows. That ranks Mississippi fifth in the nation for the rate of uninsured residents. As of April 2, Mississippi had a COVID-19 hospitalization rate of 31 percent, the highest among the 40 states that report hospitalization data, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project. For the uninsured, help may be on the horizon. Free testing is available at the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory and state-affiliated drive-up sites across the state. President Donald Trump pledged federal funds to reimburse hospitals that treat uninsured COVID-19 patients. But, comprehensive help has not arrived and affordable services and resources remain scarce in the Golden Triangle. A pet care worker in Lowndes County, who asked not to be named due to privacy concerns, hopes the government could help cover the uninsured. "I don't believe in freebies," she said. "But I think this is the one time that the government needs to step up and not charge people if they have to get tested ... (or) go into the hospital.” Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) began offering free testing March 27 through the state public health lab, which runs some 380 tests daily - and at its affiliated drive-up testing sites across the state, said MSDH spokesperson Elizabeth Grey. However, those services haven’t arrived to the Golden Triangle area. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 04/04/20) https://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=80460.