Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Senate passes DiMario bill prohibiting insurers from charging copays for COVID treatments

 

STATE HOUSE — The Senate today passed legislation introduced by Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown) that would prohibit health insurance companies from charging copays for COVID-related treatments.

The bill (2021-S 0877A) would prohibit insurance carriers from charging any out-of-pocket expenses to the insured for treatment related to the COVID-19 pandemic while the state of emergency order is in effect.

“Out-of-pocket expenses can be a huge financial barrier for many when it comes to seeking medical treatment,” said Senator DiMario. “We want to remove as many barriers as possible for people who are trying to access testing, vaccination and treatment. From a public health perspective, we need to continue to have a collective response to this pandemic in terms of the health of our communities.”

The legislation would also mandate that all COVID-19 testing or vaccination is free during and upon the expiration of the state of emergency order.

“We want to be ready for any variants and prevent any further outbreaks before they happen,” said Senator DiMario. “We also have large segments of our population, particularly children, who haven’t been vaccinated yet; and we could conceivably reach a point where the state of emergency is over before many of our children are eligible for the vaccine. By including that provision, we can ensure that there will be no cost-sharing for the vaccine after the state of emergency ends.”

The measure now moves to the House of Representatives, where similar legislation (2021-H 6208) has been introduced by Rep. David Morales (D-Dist. 7, Providence).

 

 

-30-

For an electronic version of this and all press releases published by the Legislative Press and Public Information Bureau, please visit our Web site at www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease.

 

 

The third day of testimony in former President Trump's criminal hush money trial in New York is done. Jurors again heard testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker who has explained this week how he protected Trump from negative stories leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Trump faces felony is accused of covering up payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair.       The University of California is canceling its main commencement ceremony. This comes after on-campus protests have taken place following the school informing the valedictorian she would not be giving her speech. The student had been opposed by pro-Israel groups and the school cited unspecified security concerns when canceling her speech.       Wall Street is closing with stocks lower. This comes after the release of the first quarter GDP report caused stocks to slide early on in today's session. Gross domestic product rose by one-point-six-percent in the first quarter, against expectations of two-point-four-percent.        A member of Vice President Harris's security detail is being removed over a behavioral issue. The Secret Service says the agent began "displaying behavior their colleagues found distressing" earlier this week, but did not clarify what the behavior entailed. The Washington Examiner first reported the incident, claiming the agent got into a physical altercation with other agents.       The conviction of former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein for sex crimes is being overturned in New York. The state's Court of Appeals ruled Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. The court found the judge in his trial made an error allowing women to testify about alleged sexual assaults committed by Weinstein that were not part of the charges against him.        The NFL Draft is just hours away from kicking off in Detroit. The Chicago Bears have the first pick and are widely expected to select University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams. Rounds two and three will be held Friday and rounds four through seven will be held Saturday.       

Old News Archives