Blue Cross Blue Shield said they are expanding coverage for telehealth services, which includes waiving cost-sharing for all telehealth services for fully-insured members.
Scott Serota, president and CEO of the association noted in an emailed statement that the decision was made in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic: “The safety and security of our members and of all Americans remains our paramount priority during these unprecedented times.â€Â All 36 of the BCBS health plans and the BCBS Federal Employee Program are included in the announcement. —Christina Farr
California estimates that more than half of the state — 25.5 million people — will get the new coronavirus over the next eight weeks, according to a letter sent by Gov. Gavin Newsom to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“In the last 24 hours, we had 126 new COVID-19 cases, a 21 percent increase. In some parts of our state, our case rate is doubling every four days,†Newsom wrote in a letter dated Wednesday. Newsom asked Trump to dispatch the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the Port of Los Angeles through Sept. 1 to help with the influx of expected cases.
The state reported nearly 699 confirmed cases as of 9 p.m. ET Wednesday night, according to the California health department. Newsom said the virus is spreading in the community in 23 counties across the state. It is the third hardest-hit state in the U.S., behind Washington state which has 1,376 cases as of 6 p.m. EDT Thursday and New York which has at least 5,000 cases.
Source: CNBC.COM