What are the benefits of COVID-19 antigen testing being temporarily included in medical insurance?

If only COVID-19 antigen test is done, public hospitals should be exempted from general medical expenses, and COVID-19 test items for self-tested patients will not be charged, which will certainly save a lot of money.

Step 2 facilitate

It provides great convenience for the person we are testing or the person being tested.

The epidemic has been going on since 20 19.

Recently, the epidemic situation has reappeared in various places, and making nucleic acids has become our daily life.

Such national nucleic acid testing is free, but if an individual needs to go to a hospital or go on a business trip in other areas and needs a nucleic acid report, then we need to pay the cost of nucleic acid at our own expense.

I remember that the price of personal nucleic acid in Nanjing was more than 80 at first, then it dropped to 63, and now it seems to be 40.

Although the price of self-funded nucleic acids is getting lower and lower, the cost of tens of dollars is unbearable.

But now the good news is coming.

In order to further strengthen the medical security for epidemic prevention and control in COVID-19, the Office of the National Medical Insurance Bureau issued the Notice on Doing a Good Job in Medical Security for Epidemic Prevention and Control on 2 1, clarifying that the related expenses incurred by the insured in the designated primary medical institutions shall be paid according to the current regulations in the overall planning area, and the expenses for purchasing COVID-19 antigen detection reagents in designated retail pharmacies may be paid by personal accounts.

Let me explain to you what the antibody test here means.

COVID-19 antibody detection reagent: detect COVID-19 specific IgM antibody and IgG antibody.

IgM antibody usually appears 3-5 days after COVID-19 infection, suggesting acute infection. About two weeks after COVID-19's infection, IgG antibody appeared, indicating that COVID-19 had been infected before.

Simply put, unlike COVID-19 nucleic acid test, COVID-19 antibody test is to detect two antibodies against COVID-19. If lgm antibody is detected, you have acute infection and COVID-19.

So what are the advantages of antibody testing?

I have collected some information to share with you.

Compared with nucleic acid detection, antibody detection is characterized by simple sampling and high detection efficiency.

1: The sample source is flexible, including plasma, serum and whole blood, which avoids the problem that respiratory tract samples collected by nucleic acid detection are exposed to medical staff at present.

2.IgM and IgG were detected by immunochromatography or colloidal gold. By collecting the fingertip blood or venous blood of the patient, only a very small amount of blood is needed to complete the detection, so that bedside detection or home detection can be realized.

3. The operation is simple, no instruments and equipment are needed, and there are no restrictions on operators and operating space.

4. Wide application range, suitable for early screening of outpatient and emergency departments and fever clinics in community health service centers, first-class hospitals and third-class hospitals.

Recently, various places have announced that novel coronavirus antigen testing will be temporarily included in medical insurance.

So what are the benefits?

1: Save money

At the beginning, we said that even if the cost of nucleic acid testing dropped again, it would still be a bit expensive.

However, the highest cost of antibody testing in COVID-19 will not exceed 15 yuan.

If only COVID-19 antigen test is carried out, public hospitals should be free of general medical fees, and should not charge COVID-19 test fees for self-test patients.

This is definitely a big savings.

Step 2 facilitate

It provides great convenience for the person we are testing or the person being tested.

The above are some of my views, I hope to help you.

(Reference: Dr. Bo Bohe, Jinan)