As the number of coronavirus cases continue to grow, the Trump administration is reportedly considering using government funds to help hospitals cover the costs of treating uninsured patients.
The payment plan was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The news outlet says the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is considering using the National Disaster Medical System reimbursement program to pay for the care. The program would reimburse hospitals 110% of Medicare rates. The Department of Health and Human Services discussed using the program at a congressional hearing earlier this week.
On Tuesday, President Trump said, "We are going to look at the uninsured because they have a big problem."
The Journal reports around 27.5 million Americans in 2018 were living without insurance. And hospitals covered the cost of over $38 billion worth of uninsured care in 2017.
With the number of coronavirus patients rising across the globe, hospitals are preparing to absorb the costs of caring for Americans without insurance.
As of Wednesday, Johns Hopkins University reported more than 94,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide with over 3,000 deaths. In the U.S., there are at least 130 confirmed cases and 9 deaths.
