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HealthDay Reports: US Government Says COVID-19 Antibody Tests Must Be Free

Antibody testing will be treated the same way as COVID-19 detection tests, so copays, coinsurance, and deductibles — in or out of network — must be waived.

U.S. Government Says COVID-19 Antibody Tests Must Be Free

TUESDAY, April 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Health insurers and Medicaid must provide free coverage for tests to detect coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) antibodies in people who have been infected, the federal government says.

Documents dated April 11 explain that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided that serology testing for COVID-19 antibodies should be considered an "in vitro diagnostic test" and treated the same as tests to detect the virus itself, CBS News reported.

That means that copays, coinsurance, and deductibles, in or out of network, must be waived for COVID-19 antibody tests.

Read the full HealthDay story.

HD Live!: An Interview With Andrei Doroshin of Philly Fighting Covid

Watch our latest HD Live! as we take a look at Philly Fighting Covid, a nonprofit organization run by graduate students from Drexel University that aims to help with mass COVID-19 vaccination in Philadelphia.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Andrei Doroshin, founder of Philly Fighting Covid.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live! Videos

HD Live!: COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout — An Interview With Dr. Michael Osterholm

Watch our latest HD Live! as we take a deep dive into the vaccine rollout across the country.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Biden COVID-19 Advisory Board.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020 Highlights

Our latest HD Live! is a conference wrap-up of the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, American Heart Association President-Elect, for a summary of the highlights of the AHA Scientific Sessions 2020.

Watch the in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: What Healthcare Could Look Like With a Trump or Biden Victory

Our latest HD Live! discussion is on how healthcare in America could be impacted by a Trump or Biden victory.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan, and Brian Blase, who served as a healthcare adviser to President Trump from 2017-2019 and is now president and CEO of Blase Policy Strategies.

Watch our in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: IDWeek Meeting Wrap-Up

Our latest HD Live! discussion is an overview of IDWeek, the annual meeting of leading infectious disease experts worldwide.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Inger Damon and Dr. Tom Talbot, IDWeek Chairs, for a summary of the latest data on a range of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

Watch our in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: American Academy of Pediatrics Conference Wrap-Up

Our latest HD Live! discussion is an overview of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) national conference and exhibition.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with AAP's Dr. Elizabeth Murray on the key takeaways of the event.

Watch our in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: COVID-19 and Flu Season — How to Lessen the Potential for a Twindemic

Our latest HD Live! discussion is on what could happen this flu season as COVID-19 still rages on across the country. How can we protect ourselves, and what can we and the health care system do to prepare for and potentially prevent a twindemic?

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Nadia Eltaki, director of clinical operations at Sibley Memorial Hospital, on guidance on how to protect yourself and how a twindemic could impact the health care system.

Watch our in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: Social Isolation and Mental Health, Plus Results of a COVID-19 Poll from HealthDay/The Harris Poll

Our latest HD Live! discussion is on loneliness and social isolation and how they can affect mental health. Plus, learn more about the survey we conducted with The Harris Poll on Americans and their use and knowledge of face masks and COVID-19.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Carla Perissinotto, a geriatrician and the associate chief for geriatrics clinical programs at UCSF, on advice on how to better care for seniors who might be more vulnerable to social isolation, and Kathy Steinberg, vice president of public release research at The Harris Poll, on the results of the HealthDay/The Harris Poll survey.

Watch our in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.

HD Live!: Two Experts Discuss How the US Needs to Prepare for the COVID-19 Vaccine

Our latest HD Live! discussion is on the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine and how the United States would need to prepare for a mass vaccination program.

Mabel Jong from our liveblog team speaks with Dr. Amesh Adalja from the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Kelly Moore from Vanderbilt School of Medicine and associate director for immunization education with the Immunization Action Coalition.

Watch our in-depth discussion above, and see our past HD Lives and other videos on our YouTube channel.