The Health and Human Services Inspector stated in a report that due to new expenditures for COVID-19 testing, medical insurance expenditures on laboratory testing have increased in 2020, while expenditures on other laboratory testing have dropped significantly. Report Released on Tuesday.

Gretchen Jacobson, vice president of Federal Funds Medicare, said these findings raise the question of whether some of these non-COVID-19 tests can be skipped in the future, and how these skipped tests will affect benefits in 2022. People result.

Overall, in 2020, medical insurance expenditures on laboratory testing through Part B of the plan (including outpatient visits, laboratory testing, etc.) have increased by about 4%, which is consistent with the growth level in the past five years.

However, COVID-19 testing that does not exist before 2020 accounts for about 19% of all Medicare outpatient laboratory testing expenditures in 2020, which is US$1.5 billion. The HHS Office of the Inspector General stated that when COVID-19 testing was discounted, outpatient expenditures for Medicare laboratory testing were US$6.5 billion, which was US$1.2 billion less than total expenditures in 2019 and the lowest level in the past five years.

Compared with the previous year, the total number of tests paid by health insurance in 2020 has decreased. OIG states that non-COVID-19 tests performed by providers have been reduced by 53%-including Cancer screening And drug testing-April 2020 will have more impact on Medicare beneficiaries than April 2019.

OIG stated that typical usage patterns resumed in summer, and even increased in June from the previous year.However, this growth did not continue for the rest of the year, which shows jump over Testing in the spring of 2020 was not completed later this year.

Jacobson wanted to know whether these skipped tests were really necessary. On the other hand, she also questioned whether this year will lead to a deterioration in the health of the beneficiaries.

Jacobson wrote in an email: “Starting in June 2020, we have seen health insurance expenditures and service use recover relatively quickly, but see if care changes after people start being vaccinated. It will be fun.”

OIG said that in 2020, medical insurance outpatient expenditures for rapid COVID-19 testing alone will exceed $1 billion. The number one test in 2019-the comprehensive blood test group-will drop by 10% in 2020, and payment will drop by 18%. From 2019 to 2020, the only non-COVID-19 test added is the microbiology test for the detection of infectious pathogens, and OIG stated that this may be used in conjunction with the COVID-19 test.

OIG stated that expenditures for non-COVID-19 tests have declined, in part due to the reduction in medical insurance payment rates for certain tests in accordance with 2018 legal requirements.

OIG plans to more closely examine which laboratory tests and the number of drops in 2020, and will continue to monitor the annual payment for laboratory tests.