WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Monday made the following statement after reports that UnitedHealth Group, Aetna/CVS Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Anthem, Cigna, and Humana are expanding their coverage due to COVID-19 related treatments.

“Cost cannot be a barrier for people seeking treatment for coronavirus—that’s why earlier this month I led a number of my colleagues in calling on insurers to step up and do their part by doing things like waiving cost-sharing requirements. I’ll be the first to applaud them for doing the right thing and expanding coverage for COVID-19 treatments at this critical time. We still need to do much, much more to make testing available throughout the country, but at a minimum, these are important steps to remove the fear of large medical bills for Americans who test positive and require treatment,” said Murphy.

Earlier this month, Murphy led 16 Senate Democrats in a letter to CEOs for Kaiser Permanente, Aetna, Humana, Cigna Corporation, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Anthem, and UnitedHealth Group, asking the insurers to cover all COVID-19 related treatment and services without cost sharing requirements and allowing Americans to get tested, assessed and treated without the fear of unexpected medical bills.

###