20% of Uninsured Americans Are Skipping COVID-19 Tests Due to Affordability Concerns, According to ValuePenguin

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.