This is the first part of a three-part series on strategies for payers during the COVID-19 pandemic.   

The situation surrounding COVID-19 is changing day-by-day or even hour-by-hour, and has derailed most of our normal patterns: People are working from home, kids are home from school, restaurants are closed, and the healthcare system has become singularly focused on containing and treating this virus.

What can/should healthcare plans do?   Most are waiving copays on tests and agreeing to pay providers for telehealth visits. Beyond that, the question is what can payers do to best serve their members’ health needs once the immediate crisis starts to stabilize.

Be clear in messaging: Folks are worried.  Many fret about losing jobs that provide them with health insurance, and others have stopped seeking medical care because their plans have been unclear about how the costs for Coronavirus treatments will be covered.  Reducing this uncertainty by clarifying what their plan covers and what it doesn’t will help members make informed choices.