Unexpected medical charges, or "surprise bills," add to the financial burden that many people contend with when trying to pay for healthcare.
But even though steps were taken to help mitigate expenses related to COVID-19, surprise bills did not vanish and a sizeable percentage of people were charged for treatment, vaccines, and testing — and didn't expect to be, according to a new survey.
Half of all respondents reported paying for at least one COVID-19 test administered at a health clinic, government site, or pharmacy, while 42% said that they had paid for their vaccines, despite advertisements and assurances that these services were free of charge.
Most of the people were surprised at being charged; 43% reported that they were unaware they would be charged for the vaccine whereas 38% didn't know they would be charged for a COVID-19 test. In addition, of the 70% who reported paying for COVID-19 treatment, 42% didn't know that they would be charged for it.
The survey was commissioned by AffordableHealthInsurance.com, an online resource for individuals shopping for private health insurance and Medicare Advantage plans. It was conducted online this past December 27 and included 1250 American adults.
"The impetus for this piece was the prevalence of surprise medical bills, and Americans' concerns about them, in general," said Kristen Scatton, a spokesperson for Affordablehealthinsurance.com. "The digital content team for AffordableHealthInsurance.com decided to focus the survey and article on surprise medical bills for COVID-related care due to the timeliness and relevance of the topic."
