DGA Health Plan Will Not Charge for Coronavirus Testing for Participants

Dave McNary
·2 min read

Click here to read the full article.

The board of trustees of the Directors Guild of America’s health plan has announced that there will be no charge for coronavirus testing for participants in the plan.

“Effective immediately, all patient cost-shares (co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles) will be waived for all COVID-19 related testing through June 15, 2020, as long as it is medically necessary, ordered by a network provider and performed at a network lab/facility, the board said. “This includes patient cost-shares for office visits, urgent care centers and hospital emergency room visits for the purpose of COVID-19 testing. After June 15, 2020, the COVID-19 testing and associated visits will continue to be covered at the usual benefit level.”

More from Variety

The announcement also urged participants to stay home when sick, avoid close contact with people who are sick, stop touching their faces with unwashed hands and other safety guidelines from the Center for Disease Control.

There are currently more than 18,000 members of the DGA. The minimum for directors to qualify for insurance through the guild is slightly under $36,000 a year in income from DGA directing jobs in a 12-month period.

On March 12, Trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plans announced that there will be no charge for coronavirus testing for participants in the plans. Leaders of the International Cinematographers Guild have told members that there will be no charge for coronavirus testing for participants in the Motion Picture Industry health plan.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.