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Jackie Sato, a teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124, wears a mask and teaches remotely from her classroom on Sept. 24, 2020 in New York City. | Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Biden eyes frequent testing to reopen nation s schools
President-elect Joe Biden is weighing a multibillion-dollar
plan for fully reopening schools that would hinge on testing all students, teachers and staff for Covid-19 at least once a week, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions.
The proposal under consideration calls for the federal government to cover the cost of providing tests to K-12 schools throughout the country. These could then be administered regularly by staff at each school, providing results in minutes.
Winter and the holidays can be hard even in typical years: short days, cold winds, and family stress, to name a few. But the ongoing US Covid-19 surge, with
more than 200,000 new virus cases reported every day since December 7 (about double what they were a month before), is putting the hallmark activities that help sustain us holiday gatherings, meals with friends, volunteering, or a visit to see Santa in more dire limbo.
Despite being more than nine months into the pandemic, figuring out whether and how to approach a previously routine event is still complicated. And the calculus seems to change with new case rates and evolving guidelines and with our own fluctuating pandemic burnout.
Insurers concerned Biden administration could mean more testing costs
Modern Healthcare Illustration / Getty Images
Some insurers worry that the Biden administration could put them on the hook for more COVID-19 testing costs.
The Trump administration issued guidance stating that insurers responsibility to pay for COVID-19 tests is limited to tests that are medically necessary, despite Democratic lawmakers insistence that they intended to institute a broader requirement. However, that interpretation could change under a Democratic administration.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act requires insurers to cover COVID-19 tests without patient cost-sharing, but the guidance, issued June 23, says that the law only applies to tests that are deemed medically appropriate by a healthcare provider.