On March 11, 2020, Gov. Ducey signed Executive Order 2020-07 directing insurance companies to cover the costs of COVID-19 diagnostic testing from all qualified laboratories, regardless of whether the laboratory is in the insurance company’s provider network; waive copays, coinsurance, and deductibles (cost-sharing requirements) related to COVID-19 diagnostic testing; and pass less cost to health plan members for telemedicine visits than for in-person visits, and encourage use of telemedicine during the health emergency.
On March 23, 2020, Gov. Ducey signed Executive Order 2020-12, declaring insurance services as essential business operations.
On March 25, 2020, Gov. Ducey signed Executive Order 2020-15 directing insurance companies regulated by Arizona to provide coverage for all health care services that are provided through telemedicine if the health care service would be covered were it provided through an in-person visit. Insurers can establish reasonable requirements and parameters for this coverage, but they cannot be any more restrictive or less favorable than those delivered in-person. In addition, insurers must reimburse health care providers at the same level for telemedicine visits as they would in-person visits and allow all electronic means of delivering telehealth.
Employers with policies regulated by Arizona should be aware of these developments.
Executive Orders 2020-07, 2020-12, and 2020-15 »