Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King issued a Directive to insurance companies across the state encouraging them to take proactive steps to better provide access to care for their customers during the current COVID-19 public health challenge. “Now that there have been confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia, it is essential that we are doing everything we can to remove any potential barriers to care for our citizens,” said Commissioner King. “The Directive we issued this morning is meant to ensure that no Georgian is denied access to testing or treatment for this disease.”

The Directive calls on insurers to waive cost-sharing for in-network provider office, urgent care center, or emergency room visits when testing for COVID-19, particularly for those individuals with high deductible plans. It instructs insurers to verify their provider networks are adequate to handle a potential increase in volume of COVID-19 cases and calls on them to provide access to out-of-network providers at an in-network rate if they are not. It also asks insurers to provide updates to the Department on steps they are taking in response to the Directive to better keep state officials and the general public informed.