OAKLAND — Kaiser Permanente will waive all member out-of-pocket costs for inpatient and outpatient services related to the treatment of COVID-19 retroactive to April 1, 2020, the not-for-profit health care organization announced Friday.

This is intended to alleviate the cost burden and stress on impacted members of paying for care.

“We want our members who need treatment for COVID-19 to be able to focus all their energy on getting well, not on worrying about how to pay for treatment,” said Greg Adams, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente.

“With the hit to our economy and the job losses our country is going through right now, it’s more important than ever that we don’t allow the cost of treatment to prevent our members from getting the care they need,” Adams said.

Kaiser Permanente’s elimination of member out-of-pocket costs will apply to all fully insured benefit plans, in all lines of business, in all markets, unless prohibited or modified by law or regulation.

It will apply for all dates of service from April 1 through May 31, 2020, unless superseded by government action or extended by Kaiser Permanente.

This waiver does not automatically apply to self-funded customers, but Kaiser Permanente will begin contacting all self-funded customers to encourage them to adopt this change.

This waiver has been in effect as of March 19 for Kaiser Permanente members in the Mid-Atlantic States Region, and will now be available to all members.

Kaiser Permanente previously announced on March 5 that it was waiving all member costs for diagnosis and testing related to COVID-19. On March 21, it suspended individual and group terminations for failure to pay monthly dues through April, to allow members more time to make payments before their coverage would be affected.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.2 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health.