2 Lexington COVID-19 test sites still closed. City reassures patients they won’t pay.
Public COVID-19 testing sites offered by the Lexington city government remain closed after concerns arose earlier this week that those who got tested may have gotten bills.
The Bluegrass Community and Technical College site and the mayor’s Mobile Neighborhood Testing Program were closed while the reports were investigated. The city clarified Thursday that some patients tested received an “explanation of benefits” from their insurance companies indicating the patients were responsible for a portion of the cost.
Susan Straub, the spokeswoman for the mayor’s office, said Thursday that they wouldn’t have to pay that portion. While COVID-19 testing was offered for free at the city sites, test providers were allowed to bill insurance companies for the test if an individual had insurance.
“Sphere Diagnostics, the company that is conducting the testing, has confirmed that citizens will never receive a bill for these tests,” Straub said. “There will be no out-of-pocket costs for these citizens.”
Anyone who received an explanation of benefits and had questions or concerns was asked to contact the mayor’s office by emailing mayor@lexingtonky.gov.
Despite offering reassurances on charges for tests, the city may not reopen the testing services.
“Questions remain about the future of the city’s public testing program,” Straub said. “We continue to work to determine if we will be able to continue the public testing without out-of-pocket costs to citizens.”
Both operations had offered free coronavirus testing for months. Mayor Linda Gorton launched the Mobile Neighborhood Testing Program to rotate a test option through different Lexington locations to help residents in neighborhoods hit harder by the pandemic.
Instead of using the BCTC or mobile program, residents were encouraged by the city to get tested at Kroger Field or Eastern State Hospital. Those testing operations are run by Wild Health and hosted by the University of Kentucky. Appointments can be scheduled at Lexington.wildhealth.com.
There are other testing sites available in Lexington, some of which are free but may require an appointment. Those locations can be found at bereadylexington.com.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 3:32 PM.