Patient received bill for coronavirus test, despite legislation making it free

Some people say they have been billed for their COVID-19 testing, even though it is supposed to be free.

News 12 Staff

Apr 29, 2020, 9:27 PM

Updated 1,549 days ago

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Some people say they have been billed for their COVID-19 testing, even though it is supposed to be free.
Mary Tripp says she spent more than a week in bed fighting her COVID-19 infection.
The North Merrick woman was tested for the disease on March 30 at ProHealth Urgent Care in Jericho and soon found out she was positive.
Three weeks later, Mary says she received a bill in the mail, charging her nearly $450 for that test.
"I almost fell on my face. And it was for the coronavirus test. And I couldn't believe it. I'm like, President Trump said this was free. Why am I getting a bill?" said Tripp.
On March 18, Trump signed legislation requiring coronavirus tests to be provided at no cost to the patient.
Tripp disputed her bill and ProHealth said she would not have to pay. But now she's wondering how many other were charged as well.
No one at ProHealth Urgent Care agreed to be interviewed but a spokesperson said over the phone that some people were accidentally billed for COVID-19 testing because of a glitch. She says those patients are not responsible for paying their invoices, and anyone who paid a bill that they weren't supposed to will get their money back.
Tripp has since recovered from the virus and had a follow-up test that came back negative.
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