Battling and surviving the COVID-19 infection is only half the job done. Then, come the huge bills that run into several thousand. There are reports of patients who are not just dealing with the weakness and post-infection recovery but also stacks of medical bills. Of course, air ambulance bills too can add their share to the stack. Some of them even swear by their newfound knowledge pertaining to medical coding, all gained by dealing with the many bills that they are dealing with. It is quite surprising to note, in this context, that people are still being burdened by COVID-19 bills. The pandemic, controlling which seems like a collective social responsibility, ceases to be so when it comes to shelling out money.
Air Ambulance Bills are Not the Only Concern
The air ambulance industry has on its part been quite vocal for quite some time claiming that it is not the industry alone that is responsible for the high bills. The medical insurance industry is to be blamed equally. The approval process itself is so complicated that people find it quite hard to navigate through it. ICD codes, co-pays, deductibles, networks – the maze of confusion is almost never-ending. All this despite strong efforts being made to not trouble people with the burden of COVID-19 treatment.
Insurers had Set Special Protections Initially
The largest insurance providers in the United States had initially put in place certain special protections to favor people. However, these are slowly being withdrawn at the current time with most of the nation being vaccinated already. In the days to come, the virus may be considered no different from any other disease. Of course, like the air ambulance industry, the medical industry too struggled with keeping up with the pace of infections. The focus has increasingly turned towards COVID vaccines at the current time.
