He finally realized it would be a good idea to do testing. That’s a good thing.
So he is ordering insurance companies to cover the cost of up to eight at-home coronavirus tests per “member” per month, starting Saturday.
The pluses, from the customer standpoint: The tests will be free. The negatives, also from the customer standpoint: The move will drive up insurance costs more than if the government simply purchased them and mailed them to every person in the country. Why? Because the insurers are going to raise their rates to not only cover the cost of the tests but also administrative costs plus a profit margin.
There aren’t any negatives from the political standpoint. Hardly anyone will connect the rise in health insurance rates to this order. The positive from the political standpoint: It will put more money in the pockets of insurance companies, who, in turn, will be able to put more money in the campaign funds of politicians. To see who the big campaign donors in the insurance industry are, and who they donated to, look here.